jT WEST  POINTER 
witt)  tfye  BOERS 


COL.  J. V.F.BLAKE 

IRISH  BRIGADE 


J.   Y.   F.   BLAKE 

'Colonel  Boer-Irish  Brigade  at  time  of  general  surrender  in 
June,  1902. 


A  WEST  POINTER 
WITH  THE   BOERS 


Personal  Narrative  of 

COLONEL    J.    Y.    F.     BLAKE, 

Commander 

of  the 

IRISH    BRIGADE 


1903 

Angel  Guardian  Press,  Boston 


£ 


Copyright,    1903 
Colonel  J.  Y.  F.  Blake 


J 


TO   THE   MEMORY 
OF    THE 

TWENTY-TWO  THOUSAND 

BOER  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 

MURDERED 

IN   THE 
ENGLISH  PRISON  CAMPS 

OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

DURING   THE   ANGLO-BOER    WAR. 

1899-1902 


255104 


Introduction. 

FRIENDS  have  advised  me  to  say  a  little  some- 
thing about  myself,  by  way  of  a  beginning,  and  to 
please  them,  I  will  commence  with  the  statement 
that  I  was  born  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  1856, 
and  waked  up  on  a  horse  and  cattle  ranch  on  the 
plains  of  Denton  County,  Texas.  At  least,  here 
it  was  that  I  first  saw  light,  as  far  as  I  can  re- 
member. As  I  grew  up  I  learned  to  ride  the 
Texas  pony,  and  became  fairly  well  acquainted 
with  the  character  and  habits  of  horses  and  cattle, 
by  having,  year  after  year,  to  look  after  them,  and 
see  that  none  strayed  away.  Happy  were  those 
days  of  loneliness  and  ignorance  spent  on  those 
far-stretching  plains,  where  roamed  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  horses,  cattle  and  buffalo ! 

In  1871,  my  father  started  me  to  school  at  the 
Arkansas  State  University,  at  Fayetteville.  In 
1876,  while  still  at  the  University,  I  received  the 
cadet  appointment  to  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point,  through  the  kindness  of  Hon. 
Thomas  M.  Gunter,  M.  C.,  an  old  friend  of  my 
father.  I  entered  the  Academy  in  September,  of 
the  same  year,  and  graduated  in  June,  1880.  I 
was  assigned  as  2nd  Lieutenant  of  the  6th  U.  S, 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Cavalry  stationed  in  Arizona.  I  passed  through 
the  Apache  wars,  serving  first  under  General 
Wilcox,  then  under  General  Crook,  and  lastly 
under  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles. 

General  Crook  put  me  in  command  of  the  Apache 
Indian  scouts,  and  with  them  I  roamed  about  the 
mountains  till  1885,  when  my  troop  was  ordered 
to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  I  passed  through 
the  Infantry  and  Cavalry  school,  and,  on  being 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  1st.  Lieutenant  in  1887, 
was  ordered  to  Fort  Wingate,  New  Mexico  Now 
General  Miles  put  me  in  command  of  the  Navajo 
Indian  scouts. 

The  Indians  remained  quiet  and  peaceful  on 
their  reservations.  Post  life  became  monotonous, 
and  I  resigned  in  1889. 

I  went  to  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  to  try  my 
hand  in  business,  but  soon  found  that  the  "  tricks 
of  the  trade  "  were  too  deep  for  me,  so  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  go  to  South  Africa,  where  the  gold 
mining  prospects  were  attracting  adventurous 
men  from  every  part  of  the  world. 


Preface. 

I  wish  the  following  pages  to  be  considered  as  a 
simple  narrative  of  some  of  the  important  events  of 
the  Anglo-Boer  War  and  a  very  terse  and  un- 
polished narrative  at  that.  I  have  endeavored  to 
tell  the  truth  in  as  brief  a  way  as  possible  and,  to 
speak  the  truth  again,  I  believe  I  have  been  too 
brief  in  many  instances. 

Ordinary  readers  sicken  of  long  military  details 
of  battles  and  I  have  purposely  refrained  from 
giving  them.  During  the  first  nine  months  of  the 
war,  many  American  correspondents  were  present 
and  I  think  they  can  give  a  pretty  correct  account 
of  what  happened  during  their  time,  and  I  don't 
believe  my  account  will  in  any  way  conflict  with  any 
they  may  give.  Among  many  whom  I  know,  are 
Rev.  Peter  MacQueen,  Richard  Harding  Davis,  Mr. 
linger,  Mr.  Hillegas,  Allen  Sangree  and  E.  E. 
Easton,  and  such  men  as  these  will  not  lie  because 
the  English  are  happy  to  call  themselves  our 
"Cousins  across  the  Sea." 

Some  criticism  has  been  made  of  Captain 
Patrick  O'Connor,  Lieutenants  John  Quinn  and 
Mike  Enright,  who  were  in  charge  of  the  Chicago 
Ambulance  Corps,  sent  by  Colonel  John  F.  Finerty 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boerg 

and  Patrick  J.  Judge  to  South  Africa  to  assist  tlie 
Boers,  for  laying  aside  the  Red  Crosses  and  taking 
up  the  mauser.  These  were  all  good  and  true  men 
and  had  the  Boers  asked  them  to  do  Red  Cross 
duty,  they  would  have  willingly  consented.  But 
they  were  not  needed  in  this  line,  so  they  were 
equipped  for  fighting. 

At  Spion  Kop,  General  Buller  had  many  of  the 
ambulance  men  remove  their  Red  Crosses  and  take 
the  rifle  during  the  battle.  We  captured  several 
of  these  and  they  told  the  whole  story.  After  the 
battle  was  over,  all  those  not  captured  were 
required  to  pin  on  the  Red  Cross  again  and  look 
after  the  numerous  dead  and  wounded.  If  the 
English  ambulance  men  could  remove  their  lied 
Crosses  and  take  up  rifles  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
British  commander,  I  can't  understand  why  the 
Boer  ambulance  men  could  not  do  the  same. 

I  have  not  said  as  much  about  the  English  com- 
manders of  the  war  as  I  might  have  said  j  and  now 
a  word  about  them  may  not  be  taken  amiss. 

The  Boers  generally  acknowledge  General  Buller 
as  by  far  the  ablest  commander  the  English  had  in 
the  field.  True  it  is,  he  made  mistakes  on  the 
Tugela,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  he  had 
but  35,000  or  40,000  men  to  dislodge  some  6,000 
Boers  intrenched  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles 
along  the  river.  Had  Buller  been  in  supreme 
command,  I  firmly  believe  the  war  would  have 

VI 


Preface 

been  brought  to  an  end  within  six  months  after  the 
relief  of  Lady  smith. 

Lords  Roberts  and  Kitchener  had  treble  the 
number  of  men,  an  open  country  and  only  about 
t7900  Boers  in  front  of  them  ;  yet  Buller  relieved 
Ladysmith  by  the  time  they  could  relievo 


La  fighting  negroes  armed  with  sticks  both 
tuid  Kitchener  were  enabled  to  add  a  list 
#f  letters  to  their  names  almost  equal  to  the 
number  Lu  the  alphabet;  but  when  confronted 
with  an  anr.ed  Boer,  both  found  themselves  prac- 
tically helpless. 

Roberts  for  his  proclamations  received  from  the 
British  Government  $500,000,  and  an  earldom. 
Kitchener  received  $150,000  for  wiping  out  of 
existence  22,000  women  and  children.  It  must 
be  added,  however,  that  he  was  simply  carrying 
out  Lord  Roberts'  instructions,  to  his  great 
pleasure.  Though  degenerate  and  incompetent, 
yet  the  English  soldier  knows  a  little  something. 
The  29th  of  September,  1902,  was  the  King's  Pro- 
cession Day.  I  was  present  and  witnessed  the 
circus.  Between  Trafalgar  Square  and  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  Lord  Roberts  was  violently  hissed  and 
the  people  called  for  General  Buller,  who  had  done 
all  the  fighting  and  reaped  disgrace  as  his  reward. 
Roberts  bit  his  lip  but  that  is  all  the  satisfaction 
he  got. 

vii 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

There  is  no  doubt  about  it,  the  English  lords 
and  generals  in  command  of  the  British  army 
are  degenerate  and  incompetent  and  that,  too,  far 
more  so  than  the  English  soldier.  In  hundreds  of 
instances,  I  am  quite  sure  had  an  English  sergeant 
been  in  command,  we  would  have  been  badly 
beaten  where  we  gained  successes.  The  English 
commanders  had  large  numbers,  but  small  brains- 

The  quiet,  modest  little  de  la  Rey,  with  his  danc- 
ing, hazel  eyes,  was  unquestionably  the  ablest  of  the 
Boer  generals  and  the  greatest  man  of  the  war. 

The  stalwart,  restless,  commanding  General  De 
Wet  was  the  great  strategist  and  Stonewall  Jack- 
son of  the  war.  The  handsome,  refined  and  polish- 
ed General  Louis  Botha  proved  a  most  brilliant 
commander  and  fighter,  and  another  war  will  mark 
him  as  one  of  the  brightest  military  stars  of  modern 
times.  He  is  young  and  cool-headed  and  has  in  him 
all  the  necessary  material  to  make  a  great  military 
leader.  May  the  time  soon  come  for  him  to  make 
use  of  his  material. 

Although  the  Boers  had  three  such  able  leaders, 
yet  the  two  little  Republics  lost  their  liberty  and 
independence  because  the  25,000  patriots  under 
their  command  thought  it  better  to  surrender  and 
save  their  women  and  children  and  therefore  then* 
race  from  extinction.  Horses,  mules  and  men  from 
the  United  States  of  America  destroyed  the  two 
little  republics. 

Yiii 


Preface 

We  can  always  point  with  pride  to  our  great 
liberty  lovers,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison, 
Adams,  Jackson,  Munroe,  and  Lincoln,  but  since 
the  days  of  these  great  patriots  and  Americans 
our  leader-  ship  has  degenerated;  trade  and  greed 
have  taken  the  place  of  lofty  ideals  which  made 
the  country  the  hope  and  model  of  every  people 
aspiring  to  freedom;  vulgar  ambition  for  territorial 
extension  has  put  us  on  the  low  level  of  all  the 
conquering  nations  of  old;  the  late  war  with  Spain 
developed  all  the  latent  greed  of  an  ambitious 
upstart  among  nations;  neither  the  plausible  pro- 
testations of  one  president  nor  the  open  boldness 
of  another  justified  our  un-American  policy  in  the 
far  East. 

When  it  came  to  the  question  of  acting  towards 
the  republics  of  South  Africa  as  our  forefathers  had 
acted  towards  the  republic  of  Texas,  neither  the  oily 
McKinley  nor  the  vociferous  Roosevelt  showed  the 
honor  and  courage  of  a  pure-blooded  American. 
I  do  not  mean  they  were  bought  by  Eng- 
land. Our  State  Department  is  not  the  kind  of  a 
courtesan  whose  favors  have  to  be  paid  for  in  any- 
thing but  smiles  and  flattery.  England  smiled  and 
flattered  and  America  smiled  back  as  she  strangled 
the  liberties  of  a  brave  people.  The  Philistines 
captured  Samson,  thanks  to  the  American  Delilah. 


IX 


Contents, 


INTRODUCTION 
PREFACE 


PAGE 

i 

V 


CHAP. 

I.     Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company  13 

II.     A  Carnival  of  Murder — Preceding  Jameson's 

Raid  and  Chamberlain's  Conspiracy    .  24 

III.  Boer     Commissary  —  "Mealie    Pap"    as    a 

Ration — I  Take  Command  of  the  Irish 
Brigade— War  Declared  .  .  .44 

IV.  The   Boer  Ultimatum— The  Brigade  at  the 

Front — Butchery  of  Prisoners  by  English 
Lancers          ......  52 

V.     Besieging  Ladysmith       ....  P3 

VI.     British  Treachery  at  Colenso  .         .         100 

VII.     Spion  Kop 109 

VIII.     White's  Incapacity 122 

IX.     The  Fighting  in  the  Free  State        .         .         134 
X.     Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg         .         .         141 

XI.     De  Wet  Looms  Up 154 

XII.     Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt  .         164 

XIII.  Lord  Roberts  Breaks   his   Pledge  Made   in 

Proclamation — Boers  in  Great  Disorder 
on  Leaving  Pretoria — Make  Grand  Stand 
at  Donkerhoek — General  Buller  Arrives  in 
Transvaal— Battle  of  Dalmanutha  .  185 

XIV.  Dark  Period  of  the  War— President  Kruger 

Forced  to  Leave  for  Holland        .         .        194 
XV.     War  Declared  at  an  End  by  Roberts— Lady 
Roberts   Captured — De  Wet   Cornered — 
General  Clement's  Camp  taken  by  Gen- 
eral De  la  Rey — De  Wet's  Strategy      .        206 

XVI.  Boers  Become  Aggressive — American  Gov- 
ernment Comes  to  England's  Assistance 
and  Furnishes  Horses,  Mules  and  Men  215 

XVII.  Kitchener  Alarmed  and  Asks  for  More 
Troops — French  Tries  to  Corner  Botha — 
Failing,  Makes  War  on  Boer  Women — 
Botha  Attacks  English  at  Lake  Chrissi — 


Contents 


CHAP.-  PAGE 

De  Wet  Alarms  the  English  — Defeats 
Them,  Goes  to  the  Colony  and  Returns  227 
XVIII.  Horses,  Mules  and  Men  Arrive  from  Amer- 
ica— The  Author  and  Major  Pretorius 
Make  a  Long  Ride  with  Despatches — An 
Exciting  Trip 237 

XIX.  De  Wet  Cornered  Again— De  la  Rey  Cor- 
nered too — General  Kemp  Fights  a  Good 
Fight— The  Way  by  Which  the  Boers  so 
Successfully  Outwitted  the  English  .  268 
XX.  An  Irish  Boy's  Strategy— His  Sad  Death- 
Cavalry  Far  Superior  to  Infantry  .  280 

XXI.  Kitchener  Tries  to  Frighten  the  Boers- 
Failing,  Takes  Revenge  on  Women  and 
Children — Capture  of  Fort  Pison — Eng- 
lish Surprise  the  Boers  and  are  Routed  288 
XXII.  Artillery  Boys  Surprised — A  Great  Race — 
Murder  of  Two  Young  Boers  under  the 
Impression  they  were  Members  of  the 
Irish  Brigade — The  only  Naval  Battle  of 
the  War 29!5 

XXIII.  General  Louis  Botha's  Brilliant   Charge — 

Our  French  Gun  Captured — Major  Pretor- 
ius Captured — A  Close  Call  but  all  Etxls 
Well— General  De  Wet's  Daring  Work  305 

XXIV.  Destruction  of  Women  and  Children— The 

Only  Way  to  End  the  War — Scots  Greys 
Routed — English  Troops  and  Armed  Kaf- 
firs Fight  Side  by  Side— General  De  Wet 
Completely  Cornered  .  .  .  315 

XXV.  Peace  Terms — Procedure  to  be  Adopted  in 
Selecting  Prisoners  of  War  for  Return  to 
South  Africa 


XXVI. 
XX  VII. 


331 

Brutality  of  British  Officers— Suffering  in 
the  Concentration  Camp — Poisoning  of 
Boer  Prisoners  at  St.  Helena  .  .  351 


A  Perfect  Spy  System — Captain  Naude  and 
His  Female  Spies  of  Great  Service — The 
Attitude  of  American  Consuls  .  .  363 
XXVIII.  The  English  Arm  Kaffirs— The  Hague  Con- 
ference and  Civilization — Hands-Uppers 
and  Their  Position 


CONCLUSION 


375 

400 


A   West   Pointer  With  the  Boers. 


CHAPTER  I. 

LOBENGULA  AND  THE  CHARTERED  COMPANY. 

ON  the  fifth  day  of  December,  1894,  I  sailed  on 
the  City  of  Berlin  from  New  York. 

We  started  in  a  storm,  continued  in  a  storm, 
and  landed  in  a  mud  bank  off  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
just  below  the  Needles.  This  caused  quite  a 
commotion  among  the  passengers,  and  all  seemed 
inclined  to  make  the  last  stand  at  those  points  of 
the  deck  nearest  to  the  life-boats.  By  reversing 
the  screws,  the  old  death-trap,  after  a  few  hours' 
hard  work,  succeeded  hi  releasing  itself,  aud  we 
were  again  on  the  high  sea. 

On  the  14th,  we  landed,  and  I  saw  a  foreign 
land  for  the  first  time.  I  spent  a  week  in  London 
trying  to  see  something,  but  the  fog  was  so  thick 
that  I  could  scarcely  see  myself,  so  I  decided  to 
move  on  toward  South  Africa. 

I  left  Southampton  December  22d,  1894,  on 
board  the  Lismore  Castle  for  Cape  Town  where  I 

13 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

arrived  January  12th,  1895.  On  the  voyage  I 
could  hear  nothing  talked  but  C.  J.  Rhodes  and  Dr. 
Jameson.  We  had  them  for  breakfast,  dinner  and 
supper,  and  at  all  intervening  hours. 

Connected  with  these  names  was  a  country 
known  as  Rhodesia,  lying  north  of  the  Transvaal, 
and  it  was  always  Golden  Rhodesia,  a  land  over- 
laden with  diamonds  and  gold.  I  made  up  my 
mind  on  that  voyage  to  look  up  this  C.  J.  Rhodes 
and  his  "pal,"  Dr.  Jameson.  One  thing  was  cer- 
tain in  my  mind,  and  that  was  that  either  these 
two  men  were  really  great  men  or  monstrous  ras- 
cals, and  that  Golden  Rhodesia  was  either  a  mar- 
vellous land  or  a  smartly  advertised  fraud.  I  said 
to  myself:  "I  will  investigate  both  the  men  and 
the  new  country  before  I  am  in  South  Africa  many 
months."  On  arriving  at  Cape  Town,  a  city  that 
expired  many  years  ago,  I  immediately  went  to 
Johannesburg,  the  Golden  City  of  the  Transvaal. 

January  16th  I  beheld  this  lively,  wonderful  city 
that  rested  then  and  rests  now  on  the  greatest  gold 
bed  known  in  the  world.  Money  was  so  plentiful 
that  there  were  no  poor  men  in  the  city  and  I  was 
simply  appalled  by  the  very  prosperity  of  the  place. 
I  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  before  and  shall 
probably  never  see  anything  like  it  again.  Yet  in 
this  phenomenally  prosperous  city,  I  heard  from 
the  lips  of  everyone  with  whom  I  conversed,  of 
that  far  more  wonderful  country  lying  far  to  the 

11 


Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company 

north,  the  land  of  Golden  Rhodesia.  Strange  to 
say,  however,  I  could  not  find  anyone  who  had 
visited  this  country  so  heavily  laden  with  gold. 

First  I  will  tell  how  Rhodesia  received  the  name 
and  became  the  property  of  the  notorious  Chart- 
ered Company. 

In  1889,  C.  D.  Rudd,  R.  Maguire  and  F.  R. 
Thompson,  aided  by  a  missionary  who  knew  a  few 
Kaffir  words,  induced  Chief  Lobengula,  of  Matabele- 
land  and  Mashonaland,  to  sign  a  paper  which  was 
first  interpreted  to  Lobengula  and  his  Indunas, 
(sub  chiefs)  by  the  missionary.  This  fellow  told 
them  that  the  three  white  men  had  said  in  the  paper 
that  they  would  give  the  chief  $> 500  per  month, 
1,000  rifles  and  100,000  cartridges,  for  the  right  to 
put  up  a  mill  on  a  certain  piece  of  gold  bearing 
ground.  Lobengula  told  them  to  bring  the  money, 
rifles,  etc.,  and  then  he  would  show  them  the 
ground  and  they  could  mine  it.  The  white  men 
also  agreed  to  give  Lobengula  a  steamboat,  to  run 
up  the  Zambesi  River.  This  missionary  convinced 
Lobengula  that  there  was  nothing  more  in  the  paper, 
and  he  signed.  By  the  document,  he  had  given 
Rudd,  Maguire  and  Thompson,  all  the  mining 
rights  of  his  whole  domain;  but,  of  course,  he  did 
not  know  it,  as  it  had  not  occurred  to  him  that 
possibly  the  missionary  had  lied.  In  a  short  time, 
Lobengula  learned  the  truth  and  at  once  assembled 
his  Indunas  and  called  the  white  men  to  attend. 

15 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

He  could  get  no  satisfaction,  so  in  April,  1889,  he 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  Queen  Victoria: 
To  Her  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria :  — 

Some  time  ago,  a  party  of  men  came  into  my 
country,  the  principal  one  appearing  to  be  a  man 
named  Rudd.  They  asked  me  for  a  place  to  dig 
for  gold  and  said  they  would  give  me  certain  things 
for  the  right  to  do  so.  I  told  them  to  bring  what 
they  would  give  me  and  I  would  show  them  what 
I  would  give.  A  document  was  written  and  pre- 
sented to  me  for  signature.  I  asked  what  it  con- 
tained and  was  told,  that  in  it  were  my  words  and 
the  words  of  those  men.  I  put  my  hand  on  it. 
About  three  months  afterwards,!  heard  from  other 
sources  that  I  had  given  by  that  document,  the 
rights  to  all  the  minerals  in  my  country.  I  called 
a  meeting  of  my  Indunas  and  also  of  the  white 
men,  and  demanded  a  copy  of  the  document.  It  was 
proved  to  me  that  I  had  signed  away  the  mineral 
rights  of  my  whole  country  to  Rudd  and  his  friends. 
I  have  since  had  a  meeting  of  my  Indunas  and 
they  will  not  recognize  the  paper,  as  it  contains 
neither  my  words  nor  the  words  of  those  who  got 
it.  After  the  meeting,  I  demanded  that  the  orig- 
inal document  be  returned  to  me.  It  has  not  come 
yet,  although  it  is  two  months  since  and  they  prom- 
ised to  bring  it  back  soon.  The  men  of  the  party 
who  were  in  my  country  at  the  time  were  told  to 
remain  till  the  document  was  brought  back.  One 
of  them,  Maguire,  has  now  left,  without  my  knowl- 
edge and  against  my  orders.  I  write  to  you,  that 
you  may  know  the  truth  about  this  thing  and  may 
not  be  deceived.  With  renewed  and  cordial  greet- 
ings, I  am  your  friend,  LOBENGULA. 

16 


Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company 

Rudd,  Maguire,  Thompson  and  C.  J.  Rhodes 
were  all  in  the  same  Company,  and  working  to  the 
same  end.  They  were  determined  to  rob  Lobengula 
of  his  country.  The  Queen  took  no  notice  of  Lo- 
bengula's  letter,  but  Rudd  and  his  men  knew  that 
they  could  not  swindle  Lobengula  without  a  fight. 
He  was  honest,  and  in  earnest,  and  did  not  know 
that  he  was  dealing  with  unscrupulous  people.  In 
the  past,  Lobengula  and  his  father,  Umsiligaas,  had 
befriended  Dr.  Livingston  and  other  white  men 
who  had  ventured  into  their  far  away  land,  and  had 
always  in  return  been  treated  honorably;  so  they 
were'not  prepared  for  sharpers.  The  English  boast 
of  fair  play  and  justice,  but  they  give  neither,  un- 
less forced  to  it. 

Now  I  will  tell  how  just  the  Queen  was  to  Lo- 
bengula and  how  humane  her  subjects  were  to  his 
people.  Whether  Lobengula  told  the  truth  or 
lied,  in  his  letter  to  the  Queen,  made  no  difference, 
for  the  British  Government  on  October  15th,  1889, 
granted  a  charter  to  C.  J.  Rhodes,  Alfred  Beit, 
George  Cawston,  A.  H.  G.  Grey,  Duke  of  Abercorn 
and  Duke  of  Fife,  as  petitioners,  under  the  cor- 
porate name  of  the  British  South  Africa  Co., 
commonly  known  as  the  Chartered  Company. 

The  Charter  having  been  granted  under  the 
impression  that  Lobengula  had  voluntarily  given 
his  country  away,  the  Chartered  Company  must 

17 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

continue  lo  keep  the  English  people  in  the  dark. 
C.  J.  Rhodes  now  employed  and  armed  about  seven 
hundred  men,  with  the  permission  and  approval  of 
the  High  Commissioner.  That  everything  might 
appear  well  on  paper,  he  sent  Jameson  to  Loben- 
gula  to  get  permission  for  this  armed,  christianiz- 
ing force  to  enter  Mashonaland.  Of  course  Jameson 
soon  returned  and  reported  that  Lobengula  was 
delighted  with  this  idea  of  such  an  armed  force 
entering  his  country. 

Now  everything  being  made  satisfactory  to  the 
outside  world,  by  deliberate  lying,  the  march  be- 
gan and  was  continued  for  four  or  five  months, 
when  the  band  of  humanity  lovers  reached  Mount 
Hampden,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life;  and, 
having  established  Fort  Salisbury  in  honor  of  their 
Lord,  declared  the  Chartered  Company  Monarch 
of  Mashonaland.  The  Company  then  hoisted  its 
flag,  bearing  its  motto  of  "Justice,  Commerce  and 
Freedom,"  and  all  set  to  work  to  spread  civilization 
and  Christianity.  Sir  John  Willoughby,  in  the 
ecstacy  of  joy,  now  wrote  for  the  benefit  of  the 
general  public  that  the  "Government  in  granting 
the  Royal  Charter,  had  secured  'Fairest  Africa' 
to  England  and  spread  blessings  of  hope,  peace 
and  security,  among  all  the  nations  of  the  land." 

It  required  about  two  and  a  half  years  to  com- 
pletely relieve  the  Mashonas  of  all  they  possessed, 

18 


ALFRED  LORD  MILNER 

High  Commissioner  of  South  Africa,  who  fell  into  Rhodes' 
hands  because  of  his  money. 


Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company 

spread  terror  among  their  women,  and  rob  the  inno- 
cent public  of  about  half  a  million  pounds  sterling, 
by  floating  as  gold  mines  a  large  number  of  sand 
hills.  Now  that  their  real  object  in  Mashonaland 
had  been  gained,  and  that  it  was  evident  the  Com- 
pany would  soon  be  forced  again  into  hard  straits, 
unless  a  new  field  was  opened  up,  all  set  to  work 
to  prepare  the  public  mind  for  the  invasion  of 
Matabeleland. 

They  sent  out  reports  to  the  effect  that  Loben- 
gula was  making  raids  on  his  own  people,  the  Mn- 
shonas,  killing  many  of  them,  and  taking  their 
cattle,  and  that  every  effort  was  being  made  to 
convince  him  that  such  conduct  was  highly  con- 
demned by  his  loving  friends  in  England.  Such 
reports  were  sent  out  daily,  for  some  time,  that 
the  public  might  be  thoroughly  aroused  as  to  the 
awful  state  of  affairs,  and  finally,  it  was  made 
known  that  Dr.  Jameson,  Rhodes'  most  willing 
tool,  had  determined  to  invade  Matabeleland,  in 
order  to  instil  into  Lobengula  and  his  people  the 
principles  of  love  and  humanity,  and,  by  example, 
make  known  to  them  the  good  effects  of  civiliza- 
tion and  Christianity. 

So  in  July,  1893,  he  mustered  together  his  band 
of  600  full  fledged  angels,  and  Major  Wilson  and 
Colonel  Forbes,  of  the  English  Army,  and  proceeded 
to  old  Buluwayo,  the  Royal  Kraal ;  where  he  arrived 

19 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

without  scarcely  seeing  a  Kaffir,  till  the  end  of  his 
journey.  Here  he  found  a  fellow  Scotchman  and 
another  white  man,  and  expressed  himself  as  much 
astonished  to  see  them  safe  and  sound  among  a 
people  so  bent  on  war.  Strange  to  say,  they  knew 
nothing  about  a  war  till  Jameson  arrived.  He 
learned  from  them,  that  Lobengula  was  not  in 
old  Buluwayo,  so  having  nothing  to  fear,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  slaughter  about  800  old  men,  women 
and  children. 

Now  they  hoisted  the  British  flag  on  top  of  a 
a  tree,  to  wave  in  peace  and  love  over  the  many 
hundred  women  and  children  whom  they  had  mur- 
dered, in  the  name  of  humanity.  Then  the  band 
set  out  to  kill  Lobengula,  and  having  found  him 
and  his  soldiers,  on  the  banks  of  the  Shangani, 
they  turned  loose  upon  him  and  his  men,  as  so 
many  engines  of  wholesale  slaughter,  but  they  soon 
found  out  that  they  had  something  else  to  contend 
with  besides  women  and  children  ;  for  in  a  short 
time,  Major  Wilson  and  his  whole  command,  ex- 
cepting two  men,  were  completely  destroyed,  and 
then  Colonel  Forbes'  command  made  a  rapid  retreat 
to  old  Buluwayo. 

The  two  men  who  escaped  were  Americans,  one 
being  known  as  "Burnham  the  Scout,"  and  the 
other  as  "Ingram  the  honest  man."  As  this  man 
Burnham  often  ran  to  America  to  boast  and  deceive, 

20 


Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company 

I  will  say  half  a  dozen  words  about  him.  He 
first  claimed  that  he  was  a  scout  in  America,  but 
all  soon  learned  that  there  was  no  truth  in  his 
claim.  At  the  time  of  the  Matabele  War  in  1896, 
he  showed  himself  in  his  true  light.  He  was  of 
no  earthly  use  at  Buluwayo,  for  all  knew  him,  so 
he  went  to  Hang  we,  a  few  miles  to  the  south. 
Here  he  shot  an  innocent,  unarmed  Kaffir,  if  he 
shot  one  at  all,  and  reported  that  he  had  shot  and 
killed  M'Limo,  the  Kaffir  war-god.  He  was  told 
that  he  was  really  a  wonderful  man  and  undoubt- 
edly the  greatest  shot  in  the  world.  So  ignorant 
is  he,  that  Burnham  did  not  know  that  M'Limo 
was  a  myth,  a  great  Spirit,  to  whom  the  Matabele 
would  pray  and  look  to  as  their  guide. 

But  Burnham,  the  scout,  managed  to  shoot  and 
kill  the  great  Spirit,  and,  on  receiving  a  report  of 
this  wonderful  achievement,  the  London  Graphic 
brought  out  his  picture  and  his  long  story  of  how 
he  killed  M'Limo,  the  war-god,  and  the  terror  of 
the  Rhodesians.  The  Americans  in  Rhodesia  made 
it  so  warm  for  him,  that  Burnham  left  for  the  United 
States  to  give  a  course  of  lectures.  He  now  wears 
Khaki  and  is  in  the  British  service,  and  his  native 
land  feels  thankful. 

Lobengula  now  sent  in  word  that  there  was  no 
cause  for  war  with  his  white  brothers,  and  that  he 
could  not  understand  why  they  had  suddenly  ap- 
peared in  such  a  state  of  frenzy.  Captain  Blank, 

21 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  famous  scout,  and  another  man, — or  beast, — 
were  now  employed,  and  sent  out  to  negotiate  with 
Lobengula,  and  after  a  few  days  absence,  returned 
to  report  that  he  had  died  suddenly  on  the  Zambesi 
River,  which,  you  know,  is  about  three  hundred 
miles  distant.  They  were  sure  he  was  dead, 
Because  Poison  Seldom  Lies. 

The  Matabeles  had  no  desire  to  fight,  and  did 
not  know  that  the  whites  contemplated  attacking 
them,  till  it  was  too  late,  otherwise  it  might  have 
been  a  very  different  thing.  Lobengula,  who  had 
ever  been  a  warm  friend  of  his  white  brother,  who 
had  fed  him,  protected  him  and  granted  him  his 
every  wish,  within  reason,  had  now,  in  return  for 
his  many  kindnesses,  been  foully  murdered,  be- 
cause he  was  chief,  and  controlled  thousands  of 
cattle  which  the  Chartered  Company  must  have,  in 
order  to  postpone,  for  a  few  years,  its  inevitable 
downfall.  The  truth  is,  that  Jameson  sent  word 
to  Lobengula,  that  some  of  his  people  had  come 
in  and  killed  some  of  the  Mashonas,  and  that  he 
must  arrest  and  punish  them.  Lobengula  imme- 
diately sent  a  party  to  arrest  the  murderers,  and 
Jameson  at  once,  on  their  approach,  made  it  an 
excuse  to  invade  Matabeleland.  The  men  who 
composed  the  police  force  tell  the  truth  when  they 
say  it  was  a  put  up  job,  and  the  Chartered  Com- 
pany and  its  officials  maliciously  lie,  when  they  say 
the  war  was  provoked  and  prosecuted  for  the  cause 

22 


Lobengula  and  the  Chartered  Company 

of  humanity.  Matabeleland  and  Mashon  aland  to- 
gether were  now  christened  Rhodesia.  There 
was  nothing  more  to  fear,  now  that  Lobengula 
was  dead,  and  the  great  Rhodesian  swindle  pros- 
pered for  several  years,  or  until  the  Jameson  raid. 


23 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  CARNIVAL  OF  MURDER — PRECEDING  JAMEBON'S 
RAID  AND  CHAMBERLAIN'S  CONSPIRACY. 

Having  remained  in  Johannesburg  for  just  thirty 
days,  I  secured  four  pack  donkeys,  and  in  com- 
pany with  three  friends,*  started  for  this  fabulously 
rich  country,  Golden  Rhodesia.  It  was  the  rainy 
season,  and  it  was  rain,  rain,  rain,  day  and  night, 
but  we  were  determined  not  to  be  balked  by  any- 
thing ;  we  would  see  Buluwayo,  the  gold  center, 
600  miles  away,  or  go  down  in  the  attempt.  We 
had  before  us  eight  swollen  rivers,  wicked  rivers 
at  this  season,  but  almost  dry  beds  at  any  other 
time  of  the  year.  We  had  to  swim  all  of  them, 
and  what  a  struggle  it  was  for  us!  I  can't  under- 
stand now  just  how  we  succeeded,  and  do  not 
know  how  we  escaped  the  crocodiles,  yet  we 
landed  safely  in  Victoria,  Mashonaland,  on  Easter 
Sunday,  in  the  early  part  of  April. 

Here  I  found  about  600  people  sleeping  in  the 
graveyard,  and  about  300  lying  on  cots  and  on 
the  counters  in  the  stores  and  various  other  places, 
all  down  with  the  fever.  I  did  not  like  the  sit- 
uation at  all.  To  buy  anything  one  had  to  help 
himself  and  then  hand  the  money  to  the  sick  man 

24 


CECIL  J.   RHODES 

Notorious  for  his  greed  and  inhumanity. 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

on  the  counter.  I  found  that  Salisbury,  Gwelo 
and  Buluwayo  were  all  practically  in  the  same  con- 
dition. It  was  fever,  fever,  nothing  but  fever 
everywhere,  and  all  this  talk  of  gold,  gold,  gold,  was 
entirely  misleading.  It  did  not  take  us  but  about 
one  minute  to  discover  that  Golden  Rhodesia  was 
a  golden  fraud,  and  so  it  was  then,  and  so  it  is 
now,  and  will  forever  be.  However,  I  was  not 
satisfied,  so  I  traversed  the  whole  land,  penetrated 
into  the  jungles  of  the  Zambesi,  roamed  about  in 
company  with  the  elephant,  rhinoceros,  the  hippo- 
potamus, the  savage  buffalo,  giraffe,  zebra,  the  lion, 
leopard,  hyena,  wild  dog,  jackal  and  all  the  many 
and  various  kinds  of  antelope  that  swarm  in  that 
far-a-way,  God-forsaken,  fever-stricken  country, 
where  Livingstone  breathed  his  last,  and  where  the 
natives,  in  thousands,  naked  as  nature  made  them, 
swarm  about  you,  and  look  at  you  and  treat  you 
royally  in  their  simple  way.  Here  was  wild  nature, 
in  all  its  glory,  and  here  I  was  supremely  happy. 
Thousands  of  baboons  and  monkeys  made  music 
during  the  day,  and  at  night-fall  the  lions,  hyenas 
and  jackals  took  up  the  strain  and  kept  a  curious, 
nature-loving  white  man,  with  his  rifle  on  his  knee, 
delightfully  entertained.  After  several  months  of 
exploring,  I  returned  to  Buluwayo,  on  March 
21st,  1896;  and  on  March  23rd,  the  Matabeles  broke 
out  in  rebellion  against  the  great  C.  J.  Rhodes, 
and  his  great  fraud,  the  Chartered  Company. 

25 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

The  Matabeles  surrounded  this  miserable, 
drunken,  fever-stricken  town,  and,  of  course,  I  was 
one  of  the  victims.  These  Kaffirs,  15,000.  or 
20,000  strong,  would  dance  on  the  ridges  about  us, 
make  sport  of  us,  and  have  a  good  time  generally 
during  the  day,  and  when  night  came,  all  women 
and  children  were  shut  up  in  the  market  building, 
while  the  men  were  in  the  laager  surrounding  it. 
During  the  night  every  house  in  town  was  aban- 
doned. False  alarm  after  false  alarm  was  the 
order  of  the  night;  and  how  often  have  I  seen 
loving  mothers,  with  their  arms  around  the  necks 
of  their  two,  three  or  four  children,  moaning, 
shrieking,  praying,  appealing  to  God  and  kissing 
their  little  ones  the  last  farewell  1  Those  awful 
scenes  still  haunt  me,  and  will  till  the  day  of 
my  death.  During  the  day  the  men  would  go 
out  and  fight  for  a  while,  and  then  fly  back  with 
the  Matabeles  after  them,  and  proceed  to  get  on 
a  big  drunk,  and  then  have  a  riot  meeting. 

During  the  siege,  many  small  parties  of  Kaffirs 
would  come  into  Buluwayo  for  safety,  as  they 
would  not  take  any  part  in  the  war.  Chartered 
officials  made  use  of  these  small  parties,  as  a  means 
to  amuse  the  people  with  interesting  street  scenes. 
On  reaching  the  town,  the  party  of  two,  or  three, 
or  four,  or  possibly  ten  Kaffirs,  would  be  arrested 
and  ordered  shot.  The  poor  devils  would  be 
marched  up  the  street,  lined  up,  and  in  the  presence 

26 


o 


A 
in 

.5    '£ 

o"  & 


^  .2- 

I  5- 


II 

c  & 
o  x 
bJoU 

II 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

of  a  large  crowd,  shot  down.  After  several 
hours,  when  all  had  feasted  their  eyes  and  satisfied 
their  curiosity,  the  innocent  whites,  among  the 
Company's  convicts,  were  made  to  carry  these 
mangled  bodies  in  their  arms  to  the  veldt,  and 
bury  them.  These  convicts  were  not  allowed  to 
make  use  of  wagons  or  carts.  In  order  to  have  a 
change  of  scene,  the  guards  would  sometimes  make 
these  refugees  climb  the  big  tree  on  Fife  Street,  and 
having  attached  ropes  to  their  necks  and  a  limb  of 
the  tree,  would  make  them  jump  for  their  lives. 

Then  again  the  guards  would  sometimes  take 
others  to  the  same  tree,  and,  having  tied  the  ropes 
to  their  necks  and  passing  it  over  the  limb  of  the 
tree,  would  draw  them  up  till  their  toes  would  just 
touch  the  ground,  that  the  people  might  see  them 
struggle  and  slowly  strangle  to  death.  Again,  they 
would  be  marched  into  the  street,  and  many  guards 
being  placed  behind  and  near  them,  they  would  be 
commanded  to  run  for  their  lives.  Of  course,  all 
would  be  shot  down,  and  the  wounded  sometimes 
shot  five  or  six  tunes  before  they  died.  These  were 
horrible  murder  scenes,  but  Rhodesians  seemed  to 
enjoy  them.  Having  seen  all  this,  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  tell  the  public,  that  all  may  know  just  what 
a  civilized  people  the  English  are. 

In  June  we  were  relieved,  by  troops  coming  from 
the  south,  and  I  said  farewell  to  the  miserable  hole, 
Buluwayo,  and  returned  to  Johannesburg  in  Au- 
gust, 1896. 

27 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

I  will  tell  in  a  few  words  the  causes  of  that  war, 
because  I  know  them.  The  Matabeles  had  not 
forgotten  that  white  men  had  poisoned  their  chief, 
Lobengula.  The  Chartered  Company  sent  its  po- 
lice and  forcibly  took  all  the  cattle  from  the  Kaffirs. 
This  caused  the  death  of  thousands  of  their  little 
ones,  who  lived  almost  exclusively  on  the  milk  of  the 
cows.  The  Company  allowed  its  police  and  its 
people  generally  to  go  to  the  Kaffir  Kraals,  and, 
with  their  rifles,  force  young  girls  to  go  to  their  huts, 
where  they  could  use  them  at  their  pleasure.  This 
struck  the  Kaffirs  to  the  very  heart,  because  they 
are  an  extremely  moral  people,  and  immorality 
with  them  is  punished  by  death.  The  Company 
allowed  its  Police  Commissioners  to  force  the  Kaffirs 
to  work  in  the  mines.  The  Commissioners  received 
from  the  Mining  Company  $2.50  for  each  Kaffir, 
and,  in  return,  guaranteed  the  Kaffir  to  work  for 
three  months. 

Just  before  the  expiration  of  the  three  months, 
the  mine  captain  would  take  his  cowhide  whip  and 
so  slash  them  that  they  would  run  away.  He 
would  then  call  upon  the  Commissioners  to  make 
good  their  contract  and  bring  back  the  Kaffirs. 
The  Commissioner  would  then  send  his  police  to 
arrest  the  runaways,  and,  having  got  them  in  his 
possession,  would  himself  give  them  twenty  lashes 
and  return  them  to  work.  Finally  the  Kaffir, 
after  running  away,  would  hide  in  the  hills.  Then 

28 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

it  was  that  the  Commissioner  would  arrest  the 
fugitive's  wife  and  children  and  hold  them  as 
hostages,  till  he  came  and  gave  himself  up  to  re- 
ceive the  twenty  lashes.  If  the  Kaffir  left  before 
his  three  months  expired,  the  mine  captain  did  not 
have  to  pay  him  any  wages.  To  get  his  $2.50, 
the  Commissioner  had  to  make  the  Kaffir  work 
three  months,  or  put  another  one  in  his  place,  so 
that  the  poor  Kaffir  must  be  cut  and  slashed  to 
pieces  whether  he  worked  or  not.  So  universal 
was  this  cutting  and  slashing,  that  life  to  the 
Kaffir  became  worse  than  hell  itself,  and  thereupon 
they  rebelled,  and  killed  every  white  man  they 
could  lay  hands  on.  I  said,  "Well  done. "  They 
would  have  taken  the  country,  but  Rhodes  paid 
them  $2,500,000,  in  kind,  and  bought  peace ;  and 
to-day  there  is  no  whipping,  no  cutting  Kaffirs  to 
pieces,  and  they  are  as  independent  as  kings,  in 
Rhodesia,  because  they  are  the  masters. 

While  I  was  enjoying  myself  in  the  jungles  of 
the  Zambesi,  Rhodes  completed  all  his  arrange- 
ments for  a  raid  into  the  Transvaal,  but  I  must 
tell  why  it  became  necessary  for  Rhodes  to  make  a 
raid  into  the  Transvaal.  He  had  painted  Rhodesia 
yellow,  and  through  flaming  advertisements  had 
led  the  world  to  believe  that  it  was  the  richest 
gold  bearing  country  on  earth. 

He  knew  there  was  no  gold  of  any  account  in 
the  country,  and  he  knew,  too,  that  the  English 

29 


A  West  Pointer  with,  the  Boers 

public  had  been  swindled  out  of  more  than  $120,- 
000,000.  He  knew  also  that  the  Chartered  Com- 
pany could  not  exist,  would  fall  flat,  and  prove 
worse  than  the  South  Sea  bubble,  if  something  were 
not  done,  and  that  quickly,  too.  Now  if  he  could 
only  manage  to  seize  the  world-known,  rich  gold 
fields  of  the  Rand,  at  Johannesburg,  and  annex 
them  to  Rhodesia,  why  then  he  and  the  Chartered 
Company  would  be  safe,  and  could  easily  fill  their 
chest  with  many  more  millions. 

If  the  Rand  gold-fields  were  once  annexed,  then 
he  could  advertise  the  marvellous  gold  output  of 
Rhodesia,  and  would  find  no  trouble  in  floating  all 
the  sand  banks  of  that  desert  land,  as  veritable 
gold  mines,  and  thus  save  and  enrich  himself  and 
the  Chartered  Company. 

I  will  say  a  few  words  about  the  Raid. 

In  December,  1895,  Rhodes  put  about  600  of 
the  Rhodesian  police,  with  Dr.  Jameson  in  com- 
mand, on  the  western  border  of  the  Transvaal, 
near  Mafeking.  Of  course,  Rhodes  had  every 
thing  arranged  in  Downing  Street,  London,  so 
that  at  the  proper  time  the  English  Government 
could  step  in,  with  its  troops,  to  protect  its  cit- 
izens and  thus  take  the  rich  Rand  gold-fields  from 
the  Boers.  Rhodes  had  a  telegram  sent  to  the 
London  Times  that  the  Boers  were  about  to 
murder  the  English  women  and  children  in  Johan- 
nesburg. Many  of  Jameson's  men  refused  to  cross 

30 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

the  border,  but  when  they  were  called  into  line 
and  told  they  must  go  and  help  protect  the  Eng- 
lish women  and  children  from  the  savage  Boers, 
they   consented.     The   raiding   column   made    a 
rapid  march,  reached  Doornkop,  about  twenty  miles 
from  Johannesburg  and  were  there  captured  by 
180  Boers,  who  had  come  to  meet  them  on  hear- 
ing of   the   raid.     There    were   some   prominent 
Americans  in  the  Johannesburg  Reform  Committee 
of  seventy,  who  with  Rhodes  were  implicated  in 
this  most  outrageous  piece  of  piracy,  arid  when 
President  Kruger  refused  to  put  Dr.  Jameson  and 
his  staff,  together  with  his  seventy  members  of  the 
Reform  Committee,  in  a  line  and  shoot  them  down, 
(and  what  a   blessing  it  would   have   been   for 
humanity,)  he  made  the  fatal  mistake  of  his  life 
and  in  the  end  lost  his  country,  at  least,  temp- 
orarily.    It  was   by   wilful   lying   that   Rhodes, 
Jameson  and  the  Reform  Committee  induced  those 
600  police  to  make  that  raid,  and  on  the  tomb- 
stones of  the  twenty-five  or  thirty  men  killed  at 
Doornkop,   there  should  be  engraved  the  words, 
"Murdered  by  C.  J.  Rhodes  and  his  followers." 
All  the  miscreants  who  were  connected  with  that 
infamous  raid  were  soon  set  free,  and  they  began 
at   once   in   another   way   to  create   trouble    for 
the  Boers,  and,  as  a  result  of   their   labor,   one 
of  the  greatest  wars  in  the  history  of  man  was 
fought  by  a   handful  of  patriotic  Boers,  against 
the  so-called  mightiest  empire  of  the  world. 

31 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

As  a  result  of  the  raid,  the  names  of  something 
like  a  hundred  low,  greed-loving  conspirators  were 
made  know  to  the  world,  and  the  Transvaal  still 
held  possession  of  its  precious  gold  fields. 

Rhodes  had  now  failed,  and  in  order  to  avert 
the  catastrophe,  he  put  up  money  himself,  and 
pulled  in  his  faithful  allies,  Alfred  Beit,  Lionel 
Phillips  and  several  others,  and  succeeded  in  pre- 
venting a  great  financial  calamity. 

Immediately  after  Jameson  and  his  600  men  were 
captured,  Rhodes  swore  he  knew  nothing  about 
the  raid,  and  that  it  was  a  surprise  to  him.  Of 
course  Joe  Chamberlain  knew  nothing  about  it 
because  he  said  so.  With  Jameson,  was  captured 
a  lot  of  cipher  telegrams,  as  well  as  the  keys. 
These  gave  Rhodes  away,  and  proved  conclusively 
that  he  was  the  organizer  of  the  raid,  and  that 
Chamberlain  was  implicated  with  him.  I  will  give 
one  or  two  letters,  just  to  show  how  much  faith 
can  be  placed  on  an  English  official's  word. 

30  MINCING  LANE,  E.  C., 

LONDON,  February  20th,  1897. 

MY  DEAR  GREY: 

Thanks  for  your  letter  of  the  9th  ult.,  which  I 
read  with  great  interest.  You  will,  of  course,  have 
heard  that  the  committee  was  reappointed  and  has 
got  to  work.  I  send  you  official  prints  of  the  evi- 
dence already  taken.  Rhodes  has  done  well,  and  I 
think  will  come  out  on  top.  He  was  nervous  on 

32 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

the  first  day,  though  his  evidence  was  good  even 
then.  Yesterday  he  was  simply  splendid.  I  do  not 
think  that  we  are  by  any  means  out  of  the  woods, 
but  there  does  not  seem  an  off-chance  of  the  plea 
of  public  interest  being  recognized,  and  the  cables 
of  the  last  of  the  year  1895,  or  rather  the  negoti- 
ations of  that  period,  not  being  disclosed,  though  I 
am  bound  to  say  that  personally  I  think  the  balance 
of  probability  is  that  they  will  have  to  come  out. 
If  they  do,  Mr.  Chamberlain  will  have  no  one  but 
himself  to  thank.  I  am  very  sorry  I  have  been 
such  a  bad  correspondent,  but  really  the  work  and 
anxiety  of  the  last  fifteen  months,  or  nearly  two 
years,  that  is,  since  Harris  came  to  England  on  the 
subject  of  the  Protectorate,  in  July,  1895,  have  been 
most  trying,  and  I  sometimes  fear  that  even  my 
constitution  will  not  stand  it  much  longer,  though, 
happily,  I  am  still  very  well.  I  will  try  and  write 
you  more  fully  next  week. 
Believe  me, 

Very  truly  yours, 

BOUCHIEB,  F.  HAWKESLEY. 

P.  S. — Rhodes  has  received  your  letter  and  cable 
about  Lawley. 

THE  RIGHT  HON.  EABL  OBEY. 

The  following  came  out  in  the  Select  Committee 
of  the  House  of  Commons  that  was  appointed  to 
investigate  the  Jameson  Raid.  The  suppressed 
cables  mentioned  were  never  produced,  because 
Mr.  Chamberlain  must  be  protected.  The  above 
letter,  however,  is  pretty  strong  evidence  and  it 
made  Mr.  Chamberlain  shake  in  his  boots.  Mr. 

33 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Hawkesley   is   Rhodes'   solicitor,    and    with    him 
Chamberlain  and  the  London  Times  were  deeply 
implicated  in  the  raid. 
[PRIVATE] 

39  CADOGAN  SQUARE,  LONDON,  S.  W. 

(No  Date) 
DEAR  MR.  HAWKESLEY: 

So  many  thanks  for  yours.  I  knew  you  would 
feel  as  I  do,  that  we  owe  Allingham  a  great  deal, 
and  must  give  the  brother  any  (or  every)  help  we 
could.  I  will  tell  him  to  make  an  appointment 
to  come  and  see  you  one  morning.  He  sails  in 
the  beginning  of  next  month.  I  quite  agree  with 
you  that  very  little  good,  if  any,  can  be  done  with 
J.  C.  He  knows  what  he  has  to  expect,  and  will 
have  had  plenty  of  time  to  think  it  over,  by  the 
time  C.  J.  R.  arrives.  As  long  as  you  make  it 
impossible  for  C.  J.  R.  to  give  away  Jameson,  he 
will  be  loyal  to  him ;  but  I  am  sure  from  what  I've 
said  (heard),  that  at  one  time  Rhodes  contemplat- 
ed sacrificing  the  Dr.  The  Dr.  must  never  know 
this,  and  if  any  one  can  keep  Rhodes  up  to  mark, 
you  can.  I  want  to  talk  to  you  one  day  about  the 
Dr.'s  future — to  see  what  you  think  of  my  plan, 
which  he  has  already  taken  kindly  to. 

You  do  not  know  how  grateful  I  am  to  you  for 
all  you  have  done  for  him,  but  I  think  you  can 
perhaps  partly  understand  how  much  it  means  to 
me  to  feel  he  has  got  a  friend  like  you. 

Can  I  come  and  see  you  one  morning  about 
11.30? 

Yours  sincerely, 

R.  L.  CHAMBERLAIN. 

34 


RT    HON.  JOSEPH  CHAMBERLAIN 
Colonial  Secretary,  who  with  Rhodes  and  Milner  is  directly 
responsible  for  the  death  of  thousands  of 
innocent  people. 


The  above  shows  that  C.  J.  Rhodes  was  ready 
to  prove  traitor  to  his  most  faithful  tool,  who  had 
done  all  his  dirty  work.  The  initials  J.  C.  stand 
for  Joe  Chamberlain  and  all  want  to  know  what  he 
had  to  expect.  The  initials  C.  J.  R.  stand  for  C. 
J.  Rhodes. 

On  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Tatton  Egerton  in  London 
after  the  circulation  of  a  report  that  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain was  cognizant  of  the  plans  connected  with 
the  Jameson  Raid,  this  gentleman  was  confronted 
by  the  Colonial  Secretary,  and  asked  who  had  told 
him  that  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  in  the  raid.  The 
reply  was,  "Mr.  Rhodes  himself."  The  Colonial 
Secretary's  answer  to  this  blunt  statement  of  the 
case  was,  "The  Traitor!  " 

As  neither  Mr.  Egerton  nor  Mr.  Chamberlain 
has  ever  denied  the  above  report,  one  can  draw  his 
own  conclusion.  If  Rhodes  "peached"  on  Chamber- 
lam  to  Mr.  Egerton,  then  I  think  that  he  was  guilty 
of  treason  to  one  of  his  most  trustworthy  fellow- 
conspirators. 

Rhodes  and  his  crew  did  noi  remain  idle  for  a 
moment,  they  started  more  newspapers  in  Johan- 
nesburg, got  possession  of  all  the  newspapers  in 
South  Africa,  except  three  or  four,  and  then  began 
a  paper  war  against  the  Government,  President 
Kruger,  all  Boer  officials,  Hollanders,  and  in  fact  all 
who  were  in  any  way  in  sympathy  with  the  Boers. 
There  was  nothing  too  low,  too  mean,too  maliciously 

35 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

false  for  them  to  say  about  the  Netherlands 
Railroad  Company,  the  Dynamite  Factory,  the  price 
of  coal  or  the  treatment  of  some  Cape  niggers 
caught  in  a  drunken  brawl.  There  were  many 
other  grievances,  among  them  was  the  five  per  cent 
tax  levied  on  the  gold  output,  by  the  Government. 
Then  again,  the  capitalists  wished  to  establish  the 
"compound"  system,  and  thus  make  slaves  of  all 
Kaffirs  employed  at  the  mines.  This  the  Govern- 
ment refused  to  grant. 

In  addition  to  this  came  the  cry  for  the  franchise. 
It  was  claimed  that  the  Uitlanders  furnished  the 
money  that  carried  on  the  Government,  that  they 
were  in  a  majority,  and  that  therefore  they  were 
entitled  to  vote  and  hold  office.  They  claimed  the 
franchise  by  the  fact  of  residence  in  the  Transvaal. 
Under  no  circumstances,  were  they  to  forswear  al- 
legiance to  their  Queen  and  thus  forfeit  their  British 
citizenship.  They  claimed  the  right  to  vote  and 
hold  office,  as  long  as  they  saw  fit  to  reside  in  the 
Transvaal,  and  at  the  same  time  to  remain  British 
subjects. 

The  Government  changed  the  law  from  fourteen 
to  seven  years'  residence  necessary  for  the  franchise, 
with  an  oath  requiring  the  applicant  to  renounce 
all  allegiance  to  the  State  of  which  he  was  last  a 
citizen.  The  press  cried  this  down  as  an  act  of  im- 
pertinence and  injustice  on  the  part  of  the  Govern- 
ment, because  no  British  subject  could  for  one 

36 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

moment  think  of  giving  up  his  citizenship  and 
Queen  for  the  sake  of  becoming  a  citizen  in  a  country 
run  by  an  ignorant  Boer. 

Remember,  reader,  that  all  this  was  purely  the 
work  of  the  press  of  South  Africa,  whose  object 
was  to  give  Joe  Chamberlain  a  chance  to  put  his 
mouth  into  the  business.  The  Uitlanders  of  the 
Transvaal,  including  Englishmen,  Americans, 
Germans,  Frenchmen,  in  fact,  representatives  of  all 
nationalities,  took  little  or  no  interest  in  the  re- 
ports which  the  press  was  spreading,  because  all 
knew  that  they  were  manufactured  and  utterly 
false;  and  besides  all  were  freer,  happier  and  mak- 
ing more  money  than  ever  before  in  any  other 
country.  All  were  making  from  $ 5  to  $25  per 
day  of  eight  hours'  work,  depending  on  each  one's 
individual  skill  and  smartness.  I  was  there,  knew 
them,  heard  them  talk,  and  I  say,  there  was  not 
one  in  a  hundred  who  wanted  the  franchise,  who 
would  have  made  use  of  it  if  given  to  him,  or  who 
ever  discussed  the  subject.  Each  was  trying  to 
make  his  little  fortune,  that  he  might  leave  that 
far  away  land  and  return  to  his  old  home. 

The  horrible  condition  of  affairs  in  the  Trans- 
vaal existed  only  in  the  press  and  was  the  work 
of  Rhodes,  his  crew  and  his  ally  in  Downing 
Street,  London.  The  press  continued  its  dirty  work 
day  after  day  and  month  after  month,  without 
variation,  except  in  a  few  instances  where  the 

37 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

imagination,  under  heavy  strain,  was  able  to 
squeeze  out  a  little  more  venom.  The  English 
pursue  the  same  tactics  in  their  fighting,  they 
bombard  day  after  day,  increasing  the  number  of 
guns  from  time  to  time,  and  at  last  when  they 
have  concluded  that  the  Boers  are  all. killed  or 
so  demoralized  that  they  could  offer  no  resistance, 
they  advance  the  line  for  the  general  attack. 
Just  so  the  press  continued  to  spit  out  its  venom 
and  spread  it  over  the  civilized  world,  month  after 
month,  until  it  was  deemed  that  the  time  was  ripe 
for  making  the  final  crushing  blow  that  must  rob 
the  Boers  of  their  gold  fields  and  their  country. 
This  brings  me  to  that  notorious  petition  of  21,000 
names  that  was  deliberately  manufactured  in 
Johannesburg.  Excluding  women  and  children,  I 
think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  were  not  2,000 
genuine  signatures  on  that  petition. 

A  hired  bar-room  specimen  would  go  from  house 
to  house  and  have  the  mother  put  her  name  down 
and  the  names  of  all  her  children,  first  telling  her 
it  was  the  wish  of  Rhodes  and  the  so-called  big 
men  of  Johannesburg.  Cape  niggers  would  give 
their  names,  and  the  bar-room  specimen  would 
write  them  down,  for  the  niggers  could  riot  write 
their  names.  There  were  men  in  Johannesburg 
who  made  it  a  profession  to  get  up  petitions, 
charging  so  much  for  every  hundred  names.  The 
Rhodes  crew  employed  these  fellows  at  $25  per 

38 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

hundred  names.  These  fellows  would  then  go  to 
their  rooms,  write  down  a  few  hundred  names, 
as  they  came  to  their  minds,  and  would  then  turn 
in  the  list,  receive  their  money,  and  proceed  to 
their  rooms  to  repeat  the  process.  That  is  the  way 
that  petition  was  gotten  up,  and  it  recited  enough 
grievances  to  stagger  the  world.  I  used  to  talk 
with  the  people,  and  many  of  them,  too,  every  day, 
and  it  was  a  rare  exception  when  I  found  one  who 
ever  saw  the  petition.  When  completed,  it  was 
forwarded  to  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  Cape  Town.  He 
looked  at  it,  pronounced  it  correct,  and  forwarded 
it  to  Downing  Street.  When  Sir  Alfred  Milner 
reported  that  he  had  investigated  the  names  on 
that  petition,  and  found  them  correct,  he  knows, 
I  know,  and  the  people  of  Johannesburg  know, 
that  he  was  guilty  of  a  deliberate  falsehood. 
Milner  was  sent  to  South  Africa  for  a  purpose. 
His  predecessor  would  have  thrown  that  petition 
into  the  waste  basket.  He  could  not  be  handled 
by  Rhodes ;  so  it  became  necessary  to  get  rid  of 
him,  and  out  he  went.  Milner  was  just  the  man 
for  the  place,  for  he  was  an  educated  man,  suave 
and  gentlemanly,  and,  best  of  all,  he  was  easily 
led  by  such  a  moneyed  man  as  Rhodes. 

Now  you  have  what  I  call  a  trinity,  three  in 
one,  but  apparently  three  distinct  individuals, 
Chamberlain,  Milner,  Rhodes,  three  names  that 
will  in  time  appear  on  the  first  page  of  the  history 

39 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

of  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  British  Empire,  as 
the  cause  of  the  beginning  of  the  end.  With 
Chamberlain  in  Downing  Street,  Rhodes  and  all 
his  money  in  South  Africa,  and  weak  Mr.  Milner 
in  the  middle  and  ready  at  hand,  it  was  inevitable 
that  the  great  struggle  must  come,  in  which  thou- 
sands of  innocent  people  must  fall,  and  the  plains 
of  South  Africa  be  reddened  with  their  blood. 

As  a  result  of  this  petition,  the  conference  in 
Bloemfontein  between  Presidents  Kruger  and 
Stein  and  Sir  Alfred  Milner  was  held.  This  con- 
ference was  simply  a  farce,  as  the  world  knows, 
for  Milner  had  his  orders  and  all  the  concessions 
made  by  Presidents  Kruger  and  Stein  were  simply 
declined.  Had  President  Kruger  told  Milner  that 
he  was  willing  to  cut  off  the  Rand  Gold-Fields, 
and  allow  them  to  be  annexed  to  Rhodesia,  why, 
that  would  have  prevented  the  war,  and  war  could 
not  have  been  avoided  in  any  other  way,  for 
Milner  positively  refused  to  let  any  of  their  differ- 
ences go  to  arbitration.  He  came  there  to  bring 
on  war;  he  succeeded,  and  what  a  pity  it  is  that 
he,  Chamberlain  and  Rhodes  thought  it  prudent 
to  remain  so  far  removed  from  the  immediate 
scenes  of  action!  But  that  is  the  way  in  this 
wicked  world — those  who  are  responsible  for 
suffering  and  loss  of  life  in  a  cruel  and  uncalled- 
for  war,  are  the  very  ones  who  escape  unharmed, 
and  receive  the  congratulations  of  the  civilized 

40 


KRUGER 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

world  for  the  masterly  way  they  have  carried  out 
their  designs. 

From  now  on  telegrams  fly  thick  and  fast,  the 
pot  is  boiling,  and  ready  to  flow  over  at  any 
moment.  President  Kruger  is  praying  for  arbitra- 
tion and  peace,  while  Chamberlain,  as  chief  of  the 
Trinity,  is  clamoring  for  gold  and  war.  He  had 
lyddite,  too  much  lyddite,  and  it  must  be  exploded ; 
and  on  the  mountains  of  Natal,  and  the  plains  of 
the  Transvaal  and  the  Free  State,  the  explosion 
must  take  place.  Every  shell  exploded  means  so 
many  dollars  to  Chamberlain  and  Co.,  and  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  were  exploded  before  the 
bloody  struggle  came  to  an  end.  I  am  glad  to  add, 
however,  that  but  few  Boers  owe  their  death  to 
lyddite. 

If  you  read  the  London  Times  from  June  to 
October,  1899,  you  will  find  that  the  British 
Government  had  no  intention  of  going  to  war 
with  the  Boers.  But  during  this  time  about 
15,000  English  Troops  were  assembled  at  Dundee 
and  Ladysmith,  on  the  Transvaal  border,  and 
about  the  same  number  on  the  border  of  the  Free 
State  in  Cape  Colony. 

A  goodly  number  were  also  sent  to  Mafeking 
on  the  western  border.  About  $2,000,000  worth 
of  ammunition  and  war  supplies  were  put  into 
Dundee,  and  about  110,000,000  worth  into  Lady- 
smith.  In  Kimberly  and  Mafeking,  the  same 

41 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

provisions  were  made  as  regards  ammunition 
and  war  supplies.  At  the  same  time  there  were 
something  like  20,000  troops  on  the  water,  bound 
for  South  Africa.  There  can  be  no  question 
about  it,  the  British  Government  had  no  idea  of 
making  war  on  the  Transvaal,  for  Chamberlain 
said  so  in  Parliament,  Milner  said  so  in  Cape 
Town,  and  Rhodes  backed  up  both  of  them  with 
his  money. 

These  great  bases  of  war  supplies  were  estab- 
lished, and  thousands  of  troops  landed  in  South 
Africa,  simply  to  keep  the  Commissary  and 
Quartermaster's  Department  in  good  training,  and 
allow  the  troops  to  enjoy  some  holiday  exercises 
in  a  far-away  land.  Long  before  the  war,  many 
English  officers,  disguised  in  civilian  clothes,  had 
labored  hard  in  making  military  maps  of  the 
Transvaal  and  Free  State,  showing  every  road, 
path,  farm,  sluit,  hill,  etc.,  and  yet  the  British 
Government  had  no  idea  of  forcing  war  upon  the 
Transvaal;  and  this  must  be  true,  too,  for  the 
London  Times  said  so,  Chamberlain  said  so,  Milner 
said  so,  and  all  were  backed  by  Rhodes  and  his 
millions.  We  captured  so  many  of  these  military 
maps  that  I  can  make  the  above  statement  without 
fear  of  contradiction. 

Years  ago,  the  Orange  Free  State  had  been 
robbed  of  the  Kimberly  Diamond  Fields  by  the 
English,  and  thereafter  the  English  Government 

42 


.  T.    STEYN,  PRESIDENT  ORANGE  FREE  STATE 


A  Carnival  of  Murder 

never  complained  of  any  grievances  in  that  Re- 
public. The  South  African  Republic  and  the 
Orange  Free  State  formed  an  offensive  and  de- 
fensive alliance  because  it  was  a  certainty  that  if 
the  English  took  one  of  them,  it  would  be  but  a 
question  of  time  when  an  excuse  would  be  manu- 
factured to  take  the  other;  so  they  wisely  concluded 
to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  and  live  as  Republics, 
or  fall  together  and  exist  as  dependencies. 

They  did  stand  together,  they  fought  together  and 
although  they  were  brought  to  their  knees,  they  are 
not  down  yet,  and  the  price  the  English  have  so  far 
paid,  if  the  English  graves  in  South  Africa  are  to 
be  taken  as  an  index,  is  certainly  enough  to  stagger 
humanity.  How  many  graves  are  yet  to  be  dug  on 
the  very  same  battle-fields,  of  those  two  little  coun- 
tries, in  order  to  keep  the  Boer  on  his  knees,  or  to 
put  him,  quite  down,  is  the  question  for  the  future 
to  answer. 

Now  I  come  to  the  point  where  the  two  little 
Republics  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  military 
forces  of  war — prepared  England  ;  when  war  is  in- 
evitable, when  the  immortal  gods  could  not  prevent 
a  clash  of  arms;  when  the  first  shot  is  fired  in  a 
struggle  destined  to  stir  the  world,  humiliate  the 
English  officer  and  lord,  and  destroy  the  name  and 
prestige  of  the  great  degenerate  British  Empire. 


43 


CHAPTER   III. 

IY — "MEALIE  PAP' 
I  TAKE  COMMAND  OF  THE  IRISH  BRIGADE- 
WAR  DECLARED. 

Before  we  begin  to  fight  I  must  say  something 
about  the  fighters,  and  will  commence  with  the 
Boer  and  his  readiness  for  war.  The  Boer  is  a 
simple,  unpretentious  farmer,  with  a  long  beard, 
rather  long  hair,  a  powerful  physical  frame,  a  man 
inured  to  all  kinds  of  hardships,  who  daily  looks 
after  his  horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  He  has  a  lot  of 
Kaffir  families  on  his  farm,  to  whom  he  gives  all 
the  land  they  wish  for  cultivation,  on  the  condition 
that  they  put  in  his  little  patch  of  mealies  (corn), 
and  oats.  To  the  Kaffir  boys  who  stay  at  the  farm 
house,  and  make  themselves  useful  at  all  kinds  of 
odd  jobs,  he  gives  each  a  cow  at  the  end  of  the 
year.  This  means  a  great  deal  to  the  Kaffir  boy, 
for  when  he  has  as  many  as  eight  head  of  cattle, 
he  has  the  price  he  must  pay  for  a  wife;  and  to 
have  a  wife  is  every  Kaffir  boy's  ambition. 

Every  night  and  every  morning  the  Boer  has 
religious  services  in  his  house,  and  all  the  family 
attend.  A  visitor  may  attend  or  not  as  he  pleases. 

The  Boer  cares  not  what  your  religion  is,  nor  of 
what  your  church  may  be,  and  it  does  not  concern 
him  whether  you  have  any  religion  or  not.  He 

44 


Boer  Commissary 

looks  after  his  own  soul,  and  grants  you  the  privi- 
lege of  looking  after  yours.  He  will  never  impose 
his  beliefs  upon  you,  nor  will  he  ask  you  your  re- 
ligion. He  simply  takes  it  for  granted  that  you 
are  a  Christian,  a  God-fearing  individual.  He  is  a 
domestic  man  whose  greatest  happiness  is  in  his 
home,  with  his  wife  and  children — and  he  generally 
has  plenty  of  children.  When  he  visits  his  neigh- 
bors on  Sunday,  the  whole  family  visits  with  him. 
They  all  go  to  church  on  Sunday,  and  after  the 
services  are  over,  they  all  remind  me  of  a  happy  re- 
union of  a  family  that  has  long  been  separated.  In 
his  way,  he  is  as  simple  as  a  child,  hospitable  and 
generous  to  a  fault,  ready  to  extend  the  helping 
hand  to  friend  or  stranger,  modest  and  retiring;  but 
when  once  you  try  to  deprive  him  of  his  liberty, 
you  will  find  that  he  will  fight  to  the  bitter  end, 
regardless  of  the  odds  against  him. 

For  months  previous  to  the  war,  the  English 
Press  was  busy  trying  to  let  the  world  know  what 
a  savage  the  Boer  really  was,  and  especially  how 
intolerant  he  was,  as  regards  the  Catholics.  There 
was  an  object  in  spreading  broadcast  all  these  out- 
rageous lies;  because  England  wished  the  world  to 
believe,  that  in  waging  war  against  the  Boer,  she 
was  really  doing  a  service  toward  God  and  human- 
ity. The  Irish  people  were  Catholics;  so  the  press 
told  how  bitter  the  Boer  is  against  the  Catholic, 
how  he  tramples  him  down,  and  tries  to  drive  him 

45 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

out  of  the  country.  All  this  infamous  lying  was 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  inducing  the  Irish  to  enlist 
in  the  British  army,  and  I  regret  to  say  that  the 
Irish  fell  into  the  trap.  Thousands  of  them  joined 
the  British  army,  and  to-day  thousands  of  them  are 
buried  in  South  Africa.  Few  English  are  buried 
in  South  Africa,  but  the  graves  of  the  Irish  and 
Scotch  can  be  counted  by  the  thousand. 

Leaving  aside  the  religious  aspect  of  the  man, 
the  Boer  reminds  me  very  forcibly  of  our  South- 
westerners,  in  appearance;  and  especially  in  his 
riding  and  shooting  ability.  I  have  given  a 
lengthy,  but  an  honest  and  faithful  portrait  of  the 
Boer,  because  the  subsidized  press  of  England 
spent  itself  in  trying  to  disgrace  him  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world,  for  no  other  reason  than  to  cover  up 
the  English  Government's  infamy  in  forcing  a 
most  unholy  and  damnable  war  on  the  God  fearing 
Boer  race  of  South  Africa. 

During  the  time  of  intense  excitement  in  the 
towns  of  South  Africa,  and  in  London,  the  un- 
mindful Boer  was  quietly  and  religiously  pursu- 
ing his  daily  routine  work  on  his  remote  farm. 
It  never  occurred  to  him  that  his  quiet  was  liable 
to  be  disturbed  at  any  moment  by  an  exploding 
bomb  that  might  force  him  to  leave  his  wife  and 
little  ones  for  two  years  and  eight  months,  and 
possibly  forever.  Occasionally  he  heard  the 
distant  rumble  of  impending  war,  but  he  gave  it 

46 


Boer  Commissary 

no  heed,  for  his  ear  had  become  accustomed  to 
such  sounds  during  the  last  twenty  years.  He 
could  see  no  reason  for  war  and  therefore  dismissed 
the  subject  from  his  mind.  The  Transvaal 
Government  and  the  Free  State  Government  had, 
all  told,  a  standing  army  of  about  900  artillery- 
men who  manned  their  forty  cannon  and  sixty 
maxims.  The  artillerists  were  farmer  boys,  smooth- 
faced, and  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  years  old. 
They  were  trained  by  Boer  officers  principally.  I 
think  there  were  as  officers,  also,  two  young 
Hollanders,  and  two  Germans,  who  had  long 
resided  in  the  Transvaal. 

These  young  Boer  officers  and  smooth-faced 
farmer  boys  proved  themselves  the  most  remark- 
able artillerists  in  the  world.  The  Free  State  and 
Transvaal  were  exactly  on  the  same  footing  as  to 
readiness  for  war,  and  neither  was,  therefore,  in  any 
sense  of  the  word,  prepared  for  a  struggle  with 
the  mightiest  Empire  of  the  world. 

The  total  population  of  the  Free  State  and 
Transvaal  combined  did  not  exceed  250,000  men, 
women  and  children  ;  while  that  of  Great  Britain 
and  her  colonies  runs  up  to  something  like  350,- 
000,000.  The  Transvaal  and  the  Free  State  are 
two  inland  countries  several  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast ;  so  England  had  no  reason  to  fear 
trouble  in  landing  her  troops  at  any  of  her 
many  coast  towns.  The  Transvaal  and  the  Free 

47 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

State  are  divided  into  districts,  and  each  district 
is  divided  into  veldtcornetcies.  In  each  veldt- 
cornetcy  there  is  a  veldtcornet,  elected  by  his 
constituents,  who  is  a  civil  officer  in  time  of  peace 
and  the  military  leader  of  the  men  in  his  veldt- 
cornetcy,  in  time  of  war. 

A  commandant  is  appointed,  and  given  com- 
mand of  one,  two,  or  more  veldtcornetcies,  depend- 
ing upon  circumstances.  Each  veldtcornet  divides 
up  his  men  into  corporalships  of  twenty-five  men, 
and  over  each  corporalship  he  appoints  a  corporal. 
The  commandant  general  (commander-in-chief), 
who  is  elected  by  the  whole  people,  appoints  a 
vecht-general  (fighting  general),  who  commands 
one,  two  or  more  commandancies,  also  depending 
upon  circumstances.  Assistant  commandant- 
generals  are  appointed  by  the  chief,  to  assist  him 
in  various  districts ;  these,  of  course,  hold  command 
over  the  vecht-generals.  In  time  of  peace  there 
is  but  one  general,  and  that  is  the  commandant- 
general,  who  is  also  a  member  of  the  President's 
staff,  called  the  Executive  Council.  In  time  of 
war  all  the  other  generals  are  appointed  as  they 
are  required. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war,  there  existed  what 
you  might  call  a  Commissary  and  Quartermaster 
Department.  These  Departments  load  the  trains 
with  rations  and  clothing,  and  ship  them  to  the 
front  for  the  supply  of  the  burghers.  Each 

48 


Boer  Commissary 

veldtcornet,  on  their  arrival,  sends  his  wagons,  and 
gets  all  they  can  haul  without  requisition.  The 
corporal  in  charge  simply  signs  a  receipt  for  what 
he  gets.  On  the  wagons  arriving  at  the  camp,  the 
burghers  go  and  help  themselves  to  what  they 
want.  This  never  causes  any  trouble,  for  the 
burghers  are  always  ready  to  divide  up  with  each 
other  whatever  food  or  clothing  they  may  have.  I 
mention  these  two  departments,  because  it  is  the 
first  time  in  Boer  history  that  they  ever  existed. 
They  continued  to  exist  for  about  ten  months  and 
then  disappeared,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  all  were 
better  off;  for  then  we  had  to  come  down  to 
straight  mealie  pap  (corn  meal  mush),  and  fresh 
beef.  Commissary  Departments  kill  more  soldiers 
than  are  killed  by  bullets.  When  living  on  nothing 
but  "mealie  pap"  and  fresh  meat,  all  are  healthy, 
strong,  energetic  and  full  of  fight.  The  Boer  war 
has  proved  this ;  for  during  the  last  two  years  of 
the  war  we  had  nothing  else  to  eat,  and  we  lost 
but  one  man  from  sickness ;  and  did  the  hardest 
work  and  best  fighting,  and  in  the  end,  when  the 
general  surrender  came,  the  world  had  never  seen 
24,000  stronger,  healthier  and  more  dashing  patriots 
than  those  who  laid  down  their  faithful  rifles  to 
save  their  women  and  children  from  extinction. 
I  now  arrive  at  the  point  when  the  rapidity  with 
which  telegrams  were  passing  back  and  forth  on 
the  telegraph  lines  was  such,  that  the  iron  poles 

49 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

were  fairly  melting  to  the  ground,  and  when  Presi- 
dent Kruger  was  finally  convinced  that  war  could 
not  by  any  possibility  be  averted,  and  that  the  so- 
called  great  Christian  nation,  his  foe,  was  bent  on 
spilling  the  blood  of  thousands  of  innocent  people, 
in  order  to  satiate  its  thirst  for  gold. 

The  feeble  old  man,  the  time-battered  old 
soldier,  the  fervent  old  patriot,  the  bulwark  of  the 
Boer  nation,  now  prayed  God  to  direct  him  and 
his  people  and  give  them  strength  to  preserve  and 
enjoy  their  liberty  and  independence.  Comman- 
dani^General  Piet  Joubert,  being  authorized  to 
proceed  to  the  defence  of  the  land,  sent  messengers 
to  all  the  veldtcornets,  with  directions  to  call  the 
burghers  to  arms,  and  proceed  to  Laing's  Nek,  on 
the  Natal  border,  to  meet  the  invasion  of  the 
British  Army.  The  same  orders  were  given  in  the 
Free  State,  for  the  burghers  to  go  to  the  Cape  Colony 
border,  and  resist  the  British  Army  assembled 
there.  A  small  body  of  burghers  was  sent  toward 
Mafeking  to  protect  the  western  border.  These 
orders  were  issued  during  the  last  days  of  Septem- 
ber, 1899. 

On  October  1st,  there  were  more  than  10,000 
burghers  on  the  Natal  border,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  Free  State  burghers  had  assembled  on  the 
border  of  the  Colony. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Irish  and  the  Irish- 
Americans  of  Johannesburg  and  Pretoria,  about 

60 


COMMANDANT  GENERAL  PIET  JOUBERT. 


Boer  Commissary 

300  strong,  had  assembled,  and  asked  me  to 
take  command  of  them  to  help  the  Boers  in 
their  battle  for  freedom.  I  accepted  the  command 
on  the  condition  that  not  one  of  them  would  expect 
or  accept  one  cent  of  money  for  his  services,  and 
that  all  would  fight  purely  for  their  love  of  liber- 
ty, and  for  down-trodden  Ireland.  This  condition 
having  been  unanimously  accepted,  horses,  arms, 
ammunition,  etc.,  were  at  once  procured,  and  off  we 
went  for  the  Natal  border,  where  we  joined  the 
Boers  on  October  6th.  It  was  quick  work,  but  it 
is  so  easy  to  do  things  quickly,  with  a  command  of 
true  and  patriotic  Irishmen,  overjoyed  and  brimming 
full  of  enthusiasm  at  the  prospect  of  giving  a  blow 
to  Ireland's  life-long  enemy  and  oppressor. 

Laing's  Nek  and  Majuba  Hill  are  on  the  border, 
between  Natal  and  the  Transvaal.  We  were  on 
one  side  of  the  Nek,  and  the  English  on  the  other, 
both  parties  awaiting  further  developments.  Fi- 
nally, on  October  9th,  General  Joubert  sent  a 
demand  to  the  British  Government  for  the  recall 
of  the  English  troops  from  the  Transvaal  border. 
The  British  declined,  all  communications  were 
broken  off,  and  war  was  declared  on  the  following 
day,  October  llth. 


51 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE     BOER    ULTIMATUM THE   BRIGADE    AT   THE 

FRONT BUTCHERY    OF   PRISONERS    BY   ENG- 
LISH  LANCERS. 

"The  Government  of  the  South  African  Re- 
public feels  itself  compelled  to  refer  the  Govern- 
ment of  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  once  more  to  the  Convention  of 
London,  1884,  concluded  between  this  Republic 
and  the  United  Kingdom,  and  which  in  its 
XlVth  Article  secures  certain  rights  to  the  whole 
population  of  the  Republic;  namely,  that  « All 
persons,  other  than  natives,  conforming  themselves 
to  the  laws  of  the  South  African  Republic,  (a) 
will  have  full  liberty,  with  their  families,  to 
enter,  travel,  or  reside  in  any  part  of  the  South 
African  Republic;  (b)  they  will  be  entitled  to 
hire  or  possess  houses,  manufactories,  warehouses, 
shops  and  premises;  (c)  they  may  carry  on  their 
commerce  either  in  person  or  by  any  agents  whom 
they  may  think  fit  to  employ;  (d)  they  will  not  be 
subject,  in  respect  of  their  persons  or  property, 
or  in  respect  of  their  commerce  or  industry,  to 
any  taxes,  whether  general  or  local,  other  than 
those  which  are  or  may  be  imposed  upon  citizens 
of  the  said  Republic.'  This  Government  wishes 
further  to  observe,  that  the  aboye  are  only  rights 

52 


MRS.  JOUBERT 
Widow  of  Commandant  General  Piet  Joubert 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

which  Her  Majesty's  Government  have  reserved 
in  the  above  Convention  with  regard  to  the 
Uitlander  population  of  this  Republic,  and  that 
the  violation  only  of  those  rights  could  give  that 
Government  a  right  to  diplomatic  representations 
or  intervention  while,  moreover,  the  regulation  of 
all  such  questions  affecting  the  position  or  the 
rights  of  the  Uitlander  population  under  the 
above-mentioned  Convention,  is  handed  over  to 
the  Government  and  the  representatives  of  the 
people  of  the  South  African  Republic.  Amongst 
the  questions,  the  regulation  of  which  falls  ex- 
clusively within  the  competence  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  Volksraad,  are  included  those  of 
the  franchise  and  representation  of  the  people  of 
this  Republic,  and,  although  thus  the  exclusive 
right  of  this  Government,  and  of  the  Volksraad, 
for  the  regulation  of  that  franchise  and  represen- 
tation is  indisputable,  yet  this  Government  has 
found  occasion  to  discuss,  in  a  friendly  fashion, 
the  franchise  and  the  representation  of  the  people, 
with  Her  Majesty's  Government,  without,  how- 
ever, recognizing  any  right  thereto  on  the  part  of 
Her  Majesty's  Government.  This  Government 
has  also,  by  the  formulation  of  the  now  existing 
Franchise  Law,  and  the  Resolution  with  regard  to 
representation,  constantly  held  these  friendly  dis- 
cussions before  its  eyes.  On  the  part  of  Her 
Majesty's  Government,  however,  the  friendly 

53 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

nature  of  these  discussions  has  assumed  a  more 
threatening  tone,  and  the  minds  of  the  people  in 
this  Republic  and  in  the  whole  of  South  Africa 
have  been  excited,  and  a  condition  of  extreme 
tension  has  been  created,  while  Her  Majesty's 
Government  could  no  longer  agree  to  the  legisla- 
tion respecting  franchise  and  the  Resolution  re- 
specting representation  in  this  Republic,  and 
finally,  by  your  note  of  the  twenty-fifth  of  Septem- 
ber, 1899,  broke  off  all  friendly  correspondence  on 
the  subject,  and  intimated  that  they  must  now  pro- 
ceed to  formulate  their  own  proposals  for  a  final 
settlement,  and  this  Government  can  only  see  in 
the  above  intimation  from  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment, a  new  violation  of  the  Convention  of  London, 
1884,  which  does  not  reserve  to  Her  Majesty's 
Government  the  right  to  a  unilateral  settlement 
of  a  question  which  is  exclusively  a  domestic  one 
for  this  Government,  and  has  already  been  reg- 
ulated by  it. 

"On  account  of  the  strained  situation  and  the 
consequent  serious  loss  in,  and  interruption  of, 
trade  in  general,  which  the  correspondence  re- 
specting the  franchise  and  representation  in  this 
Republic  carried  in  its  train,  Her  Majesty's 
Government  have  recently  pressed  for  an  early 
settlement,  and  finally  pressed,  by  your  interven- 
tion, for  an  answer  within  forty-eight  hours  (subse- 
quently somewhat  modified),  to  your  note  of 

54 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

the  twelfth  of  September,  replied  to  by  the  note 
of  this  Government  of  the  fifteenth  of  September, 
and  your  note  of  the  twenty-fifth  of  September, 
1899,  and  thereafter  further  friendly  negotiations 
broke  off,  and  this  Government  received  the  in- 
timation that  the  proposal  for  a  final  settlement 
would  shortly  be  made,  but  although  this  promise 
was  once  more  repeated,  no  proposal  has  up  to  now 
reached  this  Government.  Even  while  friendly 
correspondence  was  still  going  on,  an  increase  of 
troops  on  a  large  scale  was  introduced  by  Her 
Majesty's  Government  and  stationed  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  borders  of  this  Republic. 
Having  regard  to  occurrences  in  the  history  of  this 
Republic,  which  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  recall  to 
mind,  this  Government  felt  obliged  to  regard  this 
military  force  in  the  neighborhood  of  its  borders 
as  a  threat  against  the  independence  of  the  South 
African  Republic,  since  it  was  aware  of  no  circum- 
stances which  could  justify  the  presence  of  such  a 
military  force  in  South  Africa,  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  its  borders.  In  answer  to  an  enquiry 
with  respect  thereto,  addressed  to  His  Excellency 
the  High  Commissioner,  this  Government  re- 
ceived, to  its  great  astonishment,  in  reply,  a 
veiled  insinuation  that  from  the  side  of  the  Re- 
public (van  Republikeinsche  zyde)  an  attack  was 
being  made  on  Her  Majesty's  Colonies,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  mysterious  reference  to  possibilities; 

55 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

whereby  it  was  strengthened  in  its  suspicion  that 
the  independence  of  this  Republic  was  being 
threatened.  As  a  defensive  measure,  it  was 
therefore  obliged  to  send  a  portion  of  the 
burghers  of  this  Republic,  in  order  to  offer  the 
requisite  resistance  to  similar  possibilities.  Her 
Majesty's  unlawful  intervention  in  the  internal 
affairs  of  this  Republic,  in  conflict  with  the  Con- 
vention of  London,  1884,  caused  by  the  extraor- 
dinary strengthening  of  troops  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  borders  of  this  Republic,  has  thus  caused  an 
intolerable  condition  of  things  to  arise,  whereto 
this  Government  feels  itself  obliged,  in  the  interest 
not  only  of  this  Republic  but  also  of  South  Africa, 
to  make  an  end  as  soon  as  possible,  and  feels  itself 
called  upon,  and  obliged  to  press  earnestly  and 
with  emphasis  for  an  immediate  termination  of 
this  state  of  things,  and  to  request  Her  Majesty's 
Government  to  give  it  the  assurance. 

(a)  That  all  points  of  mutual  difference  shall 
be  regulated  by  the  friendly  course  of  arbi- 
tration, or  by  whatever  amicable  way  may  be 
agreed  upon  by  this  Government  with  Her 
Majesty's  Government. 

(6)  That  the  troops  on   the  borders  of  this 
Republic  shall  be  instantly  withdrawn, 
(c)  That  all  reinforcements  of  troops  which 
have  arrived  in  South  Africa  since  the  first  of 
June,  1899,   shall   be   removed   from  South 

56 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

Africa,  within  a  reasonable  time,  to  be  agreed 
upon  with  this  Government,  and  with  a  mutual 
assurance  and  guarantee  on  the  part  of  this 
Government,  that  no  attack  upon  or  hostilities 
against  any  portion  of  the  possessions  of  the 
British  Government  shall  be  made  by  the  Re- 
public, during  further  negotiations  within  a 
period  of  tune  to  be  subsequently  agreed  upon 
between  the  Governments,  and  this  Govern- 
ment will,  on  compliance  therewith,  be  pre- 
pared to  withdraw  the  armed  burghers  of  this 
Republic  from  the  borders, 
(d)  That  Her  Majesty's  troops  which  are  now 
on  the  high  seas  shall  not  be  landed  in  any 
part  of  South  Africa. 

"This  Government  must  press  for  an  imme- 
diate and  affirmative  answer  to  these  four  ques- 
tions, and  earnestly  requests  Her  Majesty's 
Government  to  return  such  an  answer  before 
or  upon  Wednesday  the  eleventh  of  October, 
1899,  not  later  than  5  p.  m.,  and  it  desires 
further  to  add,  that  in  the  event  of  unex- 
pectedly no  satisfactory  answer  being  received 
by  it  within  that  interval  (it)  will  with  great 
regret  be  compelled  to  regard  the  action  of 
Her  Majesty's  Government  as  a  formal  declara- 
tion of  war,  and  will  not  hold  itself  responsible 
for  the  consequences  thereof,  and  that  hi  the 
event  of  any  further  movement  of  troops  taking 

57 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

place  within  the  above  mentioned  time  in  the 
nearer  direction  of  our  borders,  this  Govern- 
ment will  be  compelled  to  regard  that  also  as 
a  formal  declaration  of  war." 
The  reply  was  as  follows  : 

"H.  M.'s  AGENCY,  PRETORIA, 

"October  llth,  1899. 

"  Sir, — I  am  instructed  by  the  High  Commissioner 
to  state  to  you  that  Her  Majesty's  Government  have 
received  with  great  regret  the  peremptory  demands 
of  the  Government  of  the  South  African  Republic, 
conveyed  to  me  in  your  note  on  the  9th  inst.,  and 
I  am  to  inform  you  in  reply  that  the  conditions  de- 
manded by  the  Government  of  the  South  African 
Republic  are  such  as  Her  Majesty's  Government 
deem  it  impossible  to  discuss. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 
"Your  obedient  servant, 

"W.  CONYNGHAM  GREEN,  C.  B. 

Those  assembled  on  the  Natal  border,  October 
llth,  will  never  forget  that  day,  not  only  because 
it  was  the  first  day  of  the  war  which  was  to  be  re- 
corded as  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  annals  of 
history,  but  because  it  was  so  bitterly  cold  and 
stormy.  A  strong  wind  was  blowing,  heavy  and 
murderous  looking  clouds  were  rolling  and  tum- 
bling about  our  heads.  Snow  was  falling  on  the 
mountains,  and  while  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
were  thus  warring  with  each  other,  the  Boers  filed 

58 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

across  Laing's  Nek,  to  defend  their  homes  and 
country  against  aggressive  and  greedy  England. 
Among  the  Boers  there  are  no  discipline,  no  drilling, 
no  inspections,  no  roll  calls,  every  man  feeling  him- 
self a  general  with  full  authority  to  do  as  he  pleases. 
So  they  began  the  war,  so  they  prosecuted  the  war, 
and  so  they  finished  the  war.  The  severe  cold  and 
apparent  confusion  and  disorder  among  the  Boers, 
as  they  cantered  off  like  so  many  Apache  Indians 
toward  Laing's  Nek,  did  not  seem  to  make  the 
slightest  impression  on  the  boys  of  the  Irish  Bri- 
gade. They  had  something  else  to  think  about, 
and  they  were  doing  a  lot  of  thinking.  Of  all  the 
horses  for  them,  there  were  not  over  twenty  broken 
to  the  saddle,  and  among  the  boys  themselves,  there 
were  not  over  a  half  a  dozen  who  had  ever  tried  to 
ride  a  horse.  Now,  one  can  easily  see  why  the 
Irish  boys  were  doing  so  much  thinking.  They  did 
not  wish  to  be  left  behind,  yet  each  one  felt  that 
there  was  a  great  uncertainty  as  to  how  friendly 
the  relations  between  himself  and  the  horse  might 
be. 

The  time  came  when  the  order  was  given  to  saddle 
up.  Every  one,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  true 
soldier  hastened  to  make  good  the  order.  After  a 
good  two  hours'  struggle,  every  horse  was  ready  for 
his  rider.  The  men  were  told  to  mount,  each  in 
his  own  way,  and  to  make  every  effort  to  hold 
the  saddle  after  once  he  found  it.  As  they  were 

59 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

told  to  lay  aside  their  rifles  until  they  had  become 
on  friendly  terms  with  their  horses,  they  were  not 
hampered  with  any  impediment  except  then*  inex- 
perience. Having  mounted,  I  scarcely  know  what 
happened  during  the  next  five  minutes,  but  I  saw 
men  in  camp,  on  the  veldt,  in  fact,  all  about  me, 
picking  themselves  up,  shaking  the  sand  off  them, 
and  chasing  here  and  there  and  everywhere  a  lot 
of  horses  from  which  they  had  just  separated. 
Having  caught  their  horses  they  were  told  to  try 
again  and  keep  trying  again,  until  they  and  their 
horses  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  each 
other.  For  hours  I  sat  and  witnessed  and  enjoyed 
the  best  show  I  had  ever  seen  or  ever  expect  to 
see.  But  the  men  were  Irish,  and  were  not  to  be 
defeated  as  long  as  there  was  life  in  them.  I  kept 
no  account  of  how  many  times  each  mounted  his 
horse,  and  immediately  thereafter  turned  a  somer- 
sault, but,  when,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  per- 
formance, each  rode  up  and  said  he  was  ready  for 
his  rifle,  I  felt  proud  of  them,  for  they  showed 
the  real  Irish  pluck  and  grit  that  are  destined  some 
day  to  free  Ireland.  Within  one  week  from  that 
day  I  could  call  each  one  of  those  Irish  boys  a  truly 
good  cavalryman.  They  learned  to  ride  much 
sooner  than  they  learned  to  know  their  horses. 

A  few  of  them,  to  be  sure,  would  tie  a  piece  of 
ribbon  in  the  mane  or  tail,  and  would  always  hunt 
for  their  ribbons  instead  of  their  horses.  This 

60 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

gave  rise,  months  after,  to  some  trouble  in  which 
Father  Van  Hecke,  the  Brigade  Chaplain,  was 
implicated.  Father  Van  Hecke  always  tied  a  green 
rag  into  his  horse's  mane  so  that  he  could  find  him 

o 

quickly.  He  rode  a  bay  pony,  and  a  good  pony 
he  was,  that  Father  Van  Hecke  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated. 

One  day  one  of  the  mischievous  boys  thought  he 
would  play  a  trick  on  the  good  Father.  He  went 
out,  caught  the  Father's  pony,  removed  the  green 
rag  and  tied  it  into  the  mane  of  a  sorrel  pony,  not 
half  so  good  as  the  Father's.  When  the  order 
was  given  to  saddle-up,  out  went  the  Father,  and 
the  boys  and  Boers,  each  for  his  own  horse. 
Father  Van  Hecke  found  the  green  rag,  caught 
the  sorrel  pony  and  started  to  camp  with  him.  At 
this  moment  up  came  the  Boer  who  owned  the 
pony,  claimed  him  and  accused  the  Father  of  try- 
ing to  steal  his  horse.  Father  Van  Hecke  in- 
formed the  Boer  that  he  thought  he  had  ridden 
that  horse  long  enough  to  know  him,  and  that  the 
green  rag  was  his  mark.  The  Boer  used  rather 
strong  language,  but  the  Father  would  not  sur- 
render his  pony  to  any  one.  Finally  I  was  sent 
for  to  settle  the  matter. 

About  twenty  feet  from  the  two  equally  certain 
owners  of  that  sorrel  pony,  stood  the  Father's  pony. 
I  pointed  him  out  to  the  Father  and  told  him  I 
thought  that  some  of  the  boys  had  played  a  trick 

ai 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

on  him  by  removing  the  green  rag  from  his  pony 
and  transferring  it  to  the  Boer's.  The  Father 
smiled  and  gave  the  Boer  his  horse,  but  I  think 
to-day  that  that  Boer  is  convinced  that  Father 
Van  Hecke  was  trying  to  steal  his  horse.  Father 
Van  Hecke  is  a  noble,  good  man  with  a  warm, 
sympathetic  heart,  and  as  such  he  will  always  be 
remembered  by  the  boys  of  the  Irish  Brigade. 

Already  the  last  of  the  Boers  had  disappeared 
over  Laing's  Nek,  when  the  boys  reported  that  they 
were  ready  for  their  rifles,  so  each  secured  his  piece, 
and  off  we  started  without  further  delay.  All 
were  worrying  for  fear  the  Boers  would  have  a 
fight  with  the  English  before  we  arrived.  After 
travelling  about  twenty  minutes  we  began  to 
feel  the  biting  cold  and  I  was  asked  to  give  them  a 
gallop. 

I  told  them  the  idea  was  a  good  one,  but  I  had 
grave  fears  about  the  consequences.  "Oh,  that's 
all  right.  We  are  all  right,  Colonel,  we  have 
shown  these  horses  what  we  can  do."  I  started 
off  on  a  slow  gallop,  and  within  two  minutes  at 
least  one-third  of  the  boys  were  deposited  on  the 
veldt,  and  it  took  the  other  two-thirds  about  half  an 
hour  to  round  up  the  loose  horses  and  put  matters 
into  marching  order  again.  After  that  I  had  no 
further  delay,  but  I  never  repeated  the  gallop  until 
near  Dundee,  where  every  man  sat  his  horse  in  true 
cavalryman  style.  Late  that  night  we  overtook  the 

62 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

Boers  at  Newcastle,  the  boys  being  very  tired  and 
stiff,  but  none  complained,  for  they  had,  so  far,  not 
missed  the  first  fight. 

What  an  enthusiastic  and  patriotic  body  of  men 
those  Irish  boys  were !  They  seemed  to  feel  that 
if  they  could  give  England  one  good  blow,  their 
happiness  would  be  an  assured  fact.  The  very  fact 
that  the  Irish,  where  ever  you  find  them,  so  utterly 
despise  the  English,  and  so  earnestly  long  to  blow 
the  whole  English  race  into  eternity,  is  in  itself 
sufficient  proof  that  the  English  rule  in  Ireland  is 
cruel  and  brutal. 

All  had  now  passed  over  Laing's  Nek  and  down 
the  mountains  into  the  valley.  Here  it  was  warm, 
but  as  disagreeable  as  ever,  in  fact  more  so,  for  it 
was  rain,  rain,  rain,  day  and  night,  and  the  thick 
clouds  of  mist  were  actually  rolling  along  the 
ground.  At  times  we  could  not  see  twenty  paces 
ahead  of  us,  so  it  was  necessary  to  move  cautiously, 
because  we  knew  that  the  English  were  falling 
back  toward  Dundee  just  ahead  of  us.  Thoroughly 
soaked  to  the  very  skin,  all  plowed  through  the  mud, 
felt  their  way  through  the  mist  and  clouds,  passed 
Danhausser,  and  camped  about  seven  miles  from 
Dundee.  On  the  following  day,  the  clouds  were 
motionless,  but  resting  heavily  on  the  adjacent 
mountains  and  foot-hills,  while  the  valleys  were 
quite  clear.  It  was  apparent  to  all  now,  that  a 
battle  must  take  place,  and  that,  too,  in  a  very 

63 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

short  time.  Just  as  all  horses  were  saddled  and 
the  artillery  inspanned,  and  ready  to  move  out, 
about  two  miles  to  our  left  and  front  we  dis- 
covered a  column  of  English  emerging  from  a  cloud 
on  the  foothills  across  the  valley.  Every  Boer  that 
happened  to  see  them  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and 
after  them  he  went.  Of  course  a  lot  of  the  Irish 
boys  followed  suit  in  great  haste.  The  English 
whirled  about  and  took  refuge  in  a  great  stone  cattle 
kraal.  In  five  minutes  the  rifles  began  to  speak 
on  both  sides — in  another  five  minutes  a  French 
cannon  was  sent  out,  and  fired  a  couple  of  shells,  and 
five  minutes  later  the  white  flag  was  waving  above 
the  heads  of  the  English,  and  all  was  quiet  again. 
Colonel  Moller  with  his  196  well  trained  Eigtheenth 
Hussars,  had  surrendered  to  forty  untrained  farmers. 
We  now  learned  that  Lucas  Meyer,  who  had  taken 
a  road  much  to  the  east  of  us,  had  attacked  Dundee, 
and  been  forced  back  because  General  Daniel  Eras- 
mus, who  was  to  co-operate  with  him,  had  failed  to 
show  up.  Colonel  Moller  had  been  sent  out  to  follow 
up  the  Boers,  and  according  to  his  own  statement 
had  lost  himself,  and  hadn't  the  slightest  idea  where 
he  was,  although  Dundee  was  only  six  miles  away. 
Of  the  196  Irishmen  captured,  eighty-five  begged  to 
join  the  Irish  Brigade  and  fight  with  the  Boers.  I 
wanted  to  take  them  on  the  spot,  but  the  Boer 
officers  did  not  consider  it  right,  because,  they  said, 
if  any  of  them  were  afterwards  captured,  the  English 

64 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

would  surely  shoot  them.  When  first  captured,  all 
were  half  scared  to  death  and  the  first  thing  they 
wished  to  know  was  whether  the  Boers  would  shoot 
them  or  not.  When  told  that  they  would  be  sent 
to  Pretoria,  where  they  would  probably  spend  most 
of  their  time  in  playing  cricket  and  football, 
they  were,  one  and  all,  positively  delighted  that 
they  had  surrendered.  They  said  that  their  officers 
had  told  them  in  Natal,  that  the  Boers  were  savages, 
worse  than  the  Zulus,  and  that  so  sure  as  any  of 
them  were  captured,  just  so  sure  they  would  be 
killed. 

While  the  men  scarcely  believed  all  their  officers 
had  told  them,  yet  they  were  uncertain,  because 
they  had  never  seen  a  Boer  and  didn't  know  just 
what  kind  of  a  ruffian  he  was.  The  men  of  the 
Eighteenth  Hussars  had  now  learned  what  a  liar 
and  a  hypocrite  the  English  officer  is. 

These  are  harsh  words,  but  it  requires  just  such 
words  to  bring  out  the  naked  truth  about  the 
English  officer.  There  were  very  few  officers  who 
were  not  branded  as  liars  by  their  men,  after  it  was 
learned  how  the  savage  Boer  treated  the  Eight- 
eenth Hussars. 

Within  the  next  few  months  we  had  captured 
several  thousand  prisoners,  and  they  all  told  the 
same  story  and  it  was  just  as  related  above.  That 
is  enough  about  the  English  officer  at  this  stage  of 
the  war,  but  I  assure  him  that  I  will  give  him 

65 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

plenty  of  attention  before  this  narrative  is  finished. 
To  continue,  we  now  heard  that  the  English 
were  moving  out  of  Dundee  to  take  possession  of 
the  hills  lying  between  us  and  the  town.  The 
Irish  Brigade  were  ordered  to  move  at  a  gallop 
and  reach  the  hills  first,  and  we  succeeded.  The 
English  were  to  be  seen  at  different  places  in  the 
little  circular  valley  in  which  Dundee  is  situated. 
This  valley  is  about  six  miles  in  diameter  and 
surrounded  by  hills  and  mountains.  Several  deep 
ravines  run  through  it,  and  in  them  a  whole  army 
could  easily  be  concealed.  Dundee  was  near  the  hills 
on  the  east  side,  and  Glencoe  near  the  hills  on  the 
west  side  of  the  valley.  Had  the  English  troops 
taken  possession  of  the  hills  and  mountains  around 
Dundee,  I  do  not  believe  we  could  have  taken  the 
place.  General  Penn-Symonshad  about  6,000  men 
there  and  eighteen  cannon,  and  for  defence  his 
position  was  most  excellent.  Fortunately  for  the 
Boers,  he  did  not  take  advantage  of  his  position, 
and  the  result  was  that  1,000  Boers  were  chasing 
the  Lancers  armed  with  cold  British  steel,  about 
that  little  valley  nearly  a  whole  day.  The  English 
seemed  afraid  to  move  eastward  of  Dundee,  yet 
there  were  no  Boers  there,  as  Lucas  Meyer  had 
fallen  back  some  fifteen  miles.  The  Boers  in  bands 
of  100  or  200  placed  themselves  about  the  north 
and  west  sides  of  the  valley,  and  here  it  was  that  the 
Lancers,  in  bands  of  400  strong,  would  try  to  find  an 

66 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

outlet.  At  every  point  the  Boers  would  meet  them 
with  a  few  shots,  and  off  went  the  cold  British  steel 
in  search  of  another  outlet.  The  mountains  were 
rugged  and  steep  on  the  southeast  side,  and  there 
was  but  one  pass  through  to  the  valley,  and 
that  leads  to  Ladysmith.  At  times  it  would  rain, 
and  then  again  the  heavy  clouds  would  roll  over 
the  valley  and  totally  obscure  the  whole  scene  of 
action. 

The  whole  day,  however,  was  to  the  Boer  some- 
thing like  a  day  of  sports,  for  they  had  enjoyed 
themselves  chasing  the  Lancers  about  the  valley  as 
so  many  springboks.  When  night  came,  it  was 
terribly  dark,  and  now  it  was  that  Colonel  Yule 
and  his  6,000  men,  armed  with  cold  British  steel, 
took  advantage  of  the  only  outlet  to  the  south  and 
made  then:  escape  to  Ladysmith,  some  thirty  miles 
away.  During  the  battle  with  Lucas  Meyer,  Gen- 
eral Penn-Symons  was  killed,  and  Colonel  Yule 
succeeded  him.  For  this  masterly  escape  of 
Colonel  Yule  and  6,000  men  from  about  1,000 
Boers  at  Dundee,  the  English  proclaimed  to  the 
world  their  great  victory,  and  promoted  Yule  to  the 
rank  of  Major-General.  In  any  other  army  he 
would  have  been  put  aside  in  disgrace.  I  am  not 
sure  whether  he  received  a  Victoria  Cross  or  not, 
but  if  he  didn't  he  certainly  deserved  one.  On  the 
following  day  Dundee  surrendered,  with  about  250 
officers  and  wounded  men,  and  almost  an  equal 

67 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

number  of  prisoners.  Enough  food  and  ammunition 
fell  into  our  hands  to  provide  our  command  for  many 
months.  The  English,  as  usual,  after  one  of  their 
great  victories,  had  forgotten  to  bury  the  dead  who 
had  fallen  at  Talana  Hill  two  days  before,  hi  the 
fight  with  Lucas  Meyer ;  they  had  dug  a  shallow 
pit  and  thrown  in  some  of  them. 

But  when  we  arrived,  their  hands  and  feet  and 
stomachs  were  protruding  above  its  surface  and 
presented  a  most  revolting  scene.  Thirty-nine 
dead  bodies  were  left  unburied,  and  the  savage 
Boer  gave  them  decent  interment.  It  was  near 
this  very  spot  that,  two  days  beforehand,  the  English, 
on  getting  possession  of  Dr.  Van  Der  Merwe  and 
his  ambulance,  tied  ropes  about  his  neck,  and  the 
necks  of  his  Red  Cross  assistants,  and  then,  having 
fastened  the  ropes  to  their  wagons,  dragged  them 
off  as  prisoners  of  war. 

Mr.  Englishman  can't  deny  this,  but  he  may  lie 
about  it.  Something  else  fell  into  our  hands  here, 
something  that  has  caused  Mr.  Chamberlain  to  tell 
many  a  falsehood  to  the  world.  We  captured 
thousands  of  dum-dum  bullets  and  split  bullets, 
and  gave  plenty  of  them  to  the  different  foreign 
consuls.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  supplying  the 
whole  Irish  Brigade  with  these  dum-dum  bullets 
and  split  bullets,  and  the  English  Lee-Metford 
rifles  captured  at  Dundee.  The  Boers  thought  it 
a  pity  to  waste  them  also,  so  they  too  supplied 

68 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

themselves.  We  gave  the  English  back  their  own 
medicine  in  big  doses  at  Ladysmith,  and  many  and 
numerous  graves  hi  and  about  that  town  mark  the 
results. 

The  prisoners  captured  at  Kraaipan  were  all 
carrying  dum-dum  bullets,  and  all  the  cartridges 
fired  at  Rietfontein  near  Elandslaagte  were  dum- 
dum bullets;  and,  Mr.  Englishman,  we  would 
never  have  known  what  dum-dum  bullets  were, 
had  you  not  brought  them  to  South  Africa  and 
given  them  to  us.  Bring  some  more,  next  tune. 
If  asked  why  we  didn't  capture  Colonel  Yule  and 
his  6,000  men,  as  well  as  all  they  possessed,  I 
answer  that  we  had  no  generals  —  we  had  only 
Lucas  Meyer  and  Daniel  Erasmus,  and  the  fight- 
ing brains  of  the  two  together,  would  not  suffice 
to  make  an  efficient  corporal;  much  as  we  de- 
plored their  determination  not  to  fight,  yet  we 
found  a  little  satisfaction  in  the  fact  that  we  saw 
that  awfully,  awful  death-dealing  "cold  British 
steel"  in  an  awfully,  awful,  terrible  tremble. 
How  is  that,  Mr.  Englishman? 

We  now  passed  on  towards  Ladysmith  where 
we  hoped  to  have  a  shake  not  only  with  Colonel 
Yule,  but  also  with  General  Sir  George  White, 
Generals  French,  Hunter  and  other  terrors  of  the 
English  army.  Lucas  Meyer  fought  General  Penn- 
Symons  on  October  20th,  and  on  October  21st  was 
fought  the  Battle  of  Elandslaagte.  That  good,  un- 
fortunate old  soldier,  General  J.  H.  M.  Koch,  was  in 

69 


A  West  Pointer  with,  the  Boers 

command  of  a  mixed  commando  of  Boers,  Germans 
and  Hollanders,  numbering  something  like  600  or 
700  men,  all  told.  He  should  have  closed  up  the 
only  pass  through  which  Colonel  Yule  could  escape, 
but  he  didn't.  He  was  persuaded  by  his  under 
officers  to  go  towards  Ladysmith,  and  at  Eland- 
slaagte,  fifteen  miles  from  Ladysmith,  his  men  un- 
fortunately captured  a  supply  train  on  its  way  to 
Dundee.  On  that  train  was  plenty  of  whiskey 
and  wines,  and  all  the  men  thought  it  best  to  dis- 
pose of  such  beverages  by  drinking  them;  the 
result  was  that  many  were  not  in  very  good  fight- 
ing  trim.  General  French  was  sent  out  with  his 
thousands  of  trained  soldiers,  bristling  with  cold, 
British  steel,  to  meet  General  Koch  and  his  little 
band  of  600.  They  met,  and  a  bloody  battle  was 
fought,  in  which  the  Boers  were  defeated,  General 
Koch  mortally  wounded,  and  many  other  dis- 
tinguished men  lost  their  lives,  among  them  being 
that  brave  and  patriotic  Hollander  and  States 
Prosecutor,  Dr.  Hermanns  Coster.  General  Koch 
had  no  position  at  all,  for  it  was  open  to  cavalry 
movements  on  all  sides,  and  offered  no  protection 
in  any  sense  of  the  word.  He  should  have  re- 
treated at  once,  but  he  didn't,  so  it  simply  remains 
for  me  to  tell  what  happened. 

We  lost  forty-five  men  killed,  about  one  100 
wounded,  and  something  like  190  taken  prisoners. 
Not  over  300  escaped,  so  it  proved  a  bad  day's 

70 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

work  for  us,  and  allowed  the  British  to  boast  of  the 
prowess  of  cold  British  steel  throughout  the  civilized 
world.  The  British  officer,  and  the  soldier,  too, 
are  both  justified  in  their  boasting,  for  they  used 
their  cold  British  steel  as  it  had,  I  hope,  never  been 
used  before.  They  went  about  the  battle  field  driv- 
ing their  lances  through  the  bodies  of  both  the  dead 
and  wounded,  that  each  might  carry  his  bloody 
lance  back  into  Ladysmith,  display  it,  and  boast 
to  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the  town,  of 
the  bravery  of  him  who  carried  it.  I  will  here  in- 
sert a  letter  or  two,  to  convict  the  boasters  in  their 
own  words.  These  letters  have  often  been  pub- 
lished before,  but  they  cannot  be  published  too 
often,  for  the  people  of  the  world  should  know  all 
about  cold  British  steel,  and  how  it  is  invariably 
used.  Many  an  unarmed  negro  has  fallen  victim 
to  cold  British  steel,  so  it  is  well  for  all  to  read 
the  following  letters,  and,  having  read  them,  apply 
to  the  British  army  for  lessons  in  chivalry,  and  on 
the  best  methods  of  carrying  on  civilized  warfare 
in  the  twentieth  century. 

"  After  the  enemy  were  driven  out,  one  of  our 
squadrons  pursued,  and  got  right  in  among  them 
in  the  twilight,  and  most  excellent  pig-sticking  en- 
sued, for  about  ten  minutes,  the  bag  being  about 
sixty.  One  of  our  men  stuck  his  lance  through 
two,  killing  them  both  at  once.  Had  it  not  been 
getting  dark  we  should  have  killed  more." 

71 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

The  above  is  a  published  extract  from  a  British 
officer's  letter  and  speaks  for  itself. 

The  Lancers  wrote  many  letters,  boasting  of 
their  savagery  and  many  acts  of  murder,  as  the 
following  published  extracts  will  show. 

"We  charged  them,  and  they  went  on  their 
knees  begging  of  us  to  shoot  them,  rather  than 
stab  them  with  our  lances,  but  in  vain.  The  time 
had  come  for  us  to  do  our  work  and  we  did  it." 

Another  Lancer  boasts  as  follows :  — 

"  I  got  hold  of  one  Boer," —  he  had  taken  an  en- 
emy prisoner, —  "  he  did  not  know  what  I  intended 
doing,  so  I  made  motions  to  him  to  run  for  his  life. 
So  he  went,  and  I  galloped  after  him  with  the 
sergeant's  sword,  and  cut  his  head  right  off  his 
body." 

Another  Lancer  writes :  — 

"We  just  gave  them  a  good  dig  as  they  lay. 
Next  day  most  of  the  lances  were  bloody." 

Now  read  this  extract  from  a  happy  Lancer,  and 
I  will  pass  the  rest :  — 

"  Many  of  our  soldiers  are  quite  rich  with  the 
loot  that  has  fallen  to  them.  The  infantry  regi- 
iments  profited  to  the  largest  extent.  One  Tommy 
secured  a  pocket-book  containing  270  pounds  in 
Transvaal  money.  Our  boys  are  parading  about 
now  with  gold  watches,  chains,  and  other  trinkets." 

He  might  have  added  with  truth,  that  he  and 
his  comrades  cut  off  many  fingers  in  order  to 

72 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

remove  the  rings,  and  that  they  are  to-day  wearing 
those  rings  on  their  fingers  as  souvenirs  of  their 
savage  and  bloody  deeds. 

May  the  day  be  not  far  distant  when  a  humane 
and  God-fearing  people  can  erect  a  monument  on 
that  bloody  battle  field  to  perpetuate,  from  gener- 
ation to  generation,  the  memory  of  those  loathsome 
deeds  of  pelf  and  murder  committed  by  self-con- 
victed British  officers  and  soldiers  on  the  plains  of 
Elandslaagte! 

We  now  mentally  resolved  to  deal  with  every 
British  soldier  caught  with  a  lance  in  his  hand  as 
the  interest  of  humanity  might  demand,  and 
marched  on  towards  Ladysmith,  the  last  resting 
place  of  many  of  Elandslaagte's  cowardly  murder- 
ers, and  the  grave  of  cold  British  steel.  We  came 
in  sight  of  Ladysmith  on  October  27th. 

We  halted  to  discuss  and  make  plans.  It  was 
very  necessary,  too,  for  there  was  a  much  larger 
force  in  Ladysmith  than  we  had,  and  the  chances 
were  that  we  would  get  a  good  thrashing.  I  was 
asked  if  I  would  go  to  the  Tugela  River  and  blow 
up  the  railway  bridge,  which  was  fifteen  miles  south 
of  Ladysmith,  that  no  guns  and  re-enforcements 
might  come  from  Maritzburg.  I  said  I  would  if 
they  would  provide  me  with  a  guide.  The  guide 
having  been  presented,  I  called  upon  my  men  for 
volunteers,  and  explained  to  them  that  it  was  a 
dangerous  piece  of  work,  but  that  I  thought  we 

73 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

were  equal  to  it.  Fifteen  promptly  responded,  and 
that  was  all  I  wanted.  The  entire  Boer  force 
then  moved  on,  and  the  fifteen  men  and  myself  re- 
mained where  we  were. 

As  we  had  no  dynamite,  I  sent  little  Mike  Halley 
and  two  other  men  back  to  a  coal  mine,  about  six 
miles  distant,  for  about  100  pounds  of  it.  A 
coolie  was  in  charge  of  the  mine,  and  he  swore 
that  there  was  no  dynamite  there.  Mike  made  him 
get  a  candle  and  show  him  into  the  mine,  that  he 
might  see  for  himself.  On  reaching  a  dark  shaft, 
the  candle  was  lighted,  and  at  once  there  was  an 
explosion.  McCormick  was  badly  burned  about 
the  face,  Dick  McDonough's  hands  suffered,  and 
Mike  looked  as  if  his  head  had  been  submerged  in 
a  pot  of  boiling  water.  However,  they  did  not  give 
up  their  search,  and  at  last  found  some  dynamite, 
fuse  and  detonators.  Just  as  they  returned,  Gen- 
eral Joubert  came  upon  us  from  another  direction, 
and  asked  me  what  I  was  doing,  and  why  I  had  not 
gone  on  with  the  main  force.  I  told  him  what  I  had 
been  requested  to  do,  and  that  the  boys  had  just 
arrived  with  the  dynamite.  He  said  he  could  not 
think  of  allowing  us  to  do  it,  that  it  was  too  danger- 
ous, that  all  of  us  would  ba  killed,  etc.  I  told  him 
that  in  war  people  had  to  take  chances,  and  that 
I  thought  we  could  do  the  work  and  come  out  all 
right.  But  he  would  not  allow  us  to  go,  and 
directed  that  we  should  go  with  him  to  the  main 

74 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

force  near  Ladysmith.  He  afterwards  acknowl- 
edged that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  for  had  the 
bridge  been  blown  up,  neither  marines  nor  naval 
guns  could  have  reached  Ladysmith.  It  was  this 
force  and  these  guns  that  enabled  the  English 
to  stand  the  siege  and  save  Ladysmith  from  being 
captured. 

This  town  is  situated  in  a  little  valley  on  the 
banks  of  Klip  River,  and  is  almost  completely  sur- 
rounded by  mountains,  high  and  precipitous. 
Modderspruit  runs  from  the  east  through  a  narrow 
valley  between  Lombard's  Kop  and  Pepworth  Hill, 
and  empties  into  Klip  River  near  the  town.  The 
distance  from  the  tops  of  the  mountains  and  from 
the  crest  of  Pepworth  Hill  was,  on  an  average, 
about  6,000  yards.  General  Sir  George  White, 
with  his  13,000  trained  soldiers  and  fifty  cannon, 
held  and  occupied  all  the  mountains,  but  ignored 
Pepworth  Hill,  lying  to  the  north-east  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  6,000  yards  from  the  town.  Nickol- 
son's  Nek  on  the  north  did  not  command  the  town, 
so  that,  too,  was  not  occupied  by  the  British.  Some 
low  hills  to  the  north-west  were  also  unoccupied, 
so  it  was  plain  what  we  had  to  do  in  the  first  in- 
stance. 

The  Free  Staters  came  in  through  Van  Reenen's 
Pass  and  occupied  the  low  hills  to  the  north-west 
and  a  part  of  Nickolson's  Nek.  The  Trans- 
vaalers  were  on  the  hills  on  the  north,  Pepworth 

75 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Hill,  and  along  the  ridge  near  Modderspruit,  and 
in  an  easterly  direction  from  the  town. 

Ladysmith  with  its  surrounding  mountains  is  cer- 
tainly a  most  excellent  position  both  for  offensive 
and  defensive  operations;  and  had  a  good  com- 
mander been  in  Sir  George  White's  place,  he  could 
have  easily  defeated  and  routed  the  Boers  on  their 
first  appearing. 

It  was  White's  stupidity  and  inability  that 
locked  him  up  in  Ladysmith,  and  kept  him  there, 
just  as  it  was  someone's  great  love  of  humanity  that 
prevented  us  from  taking  the  town  on  October 
30th.  The  Irish  Brigade  and  Ermelo  Commando 
were  placed  in  the  centre,  on  Pepworth  Hill,  as  a 
guard  to  Long  Tom,  two  French  field  guns  and 
two  pom-pom  maxims.  Christian  De  Wet  with 
some  Free  Staters,  and  Erasmus  with  some  Trans- 
vaalers,  together  with  the  Johannesburg  police, 
were  in  and  about  Nickolson's  Nek  on  the  right, 
Lucas  Meyer  and  Schalk  Burger,  and  Captain 
Pretorius  with  his  cannons  on  our  left,  occupied  a 
long  ridge  and  some  small  hills  near  the  eastern 
part  of  Lombard's  Kop.  The  total  Boer  forces 
did  not  exceed  8,000  men  with  ten  cannon. 

Saturday,  the  28th,  passed  without  a  shot  being 
fired.  Sunday  came,  and  some  of  the  Irish  boys 
grew  restless  and  complained  that  they  were  hungry. 
I  am  sure  they  were,  too,  for  I  know  I  was.  We  had 
precious  little  to  eat  for  about  two  weeks,  for  it  had 

76 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

been  raining  steadily  for  that  time  and  we  had  been 
constantly  on  the  move.  Three  of  the  boys  urged 
so  earnestly  their  request  to  go  to  a  farm  house 
near  the  town  for  a  pig,  that  I  finally  gave  them 
permission.  When  within  about  500  yards 
of  the  house  they  discovered  and  shot  a  fat, 
half-grown  pig.  Much  to  their  surprise,  within 
the  wall  around  the  house  were  some  English 
soldiers,  who  at  once  opened  fire  upon  them.  Hot 
times  then  ensued,  but  in  the  end  the  boys  came 
out  all  right  and  brought  the  pig  to  camp.  These 
were  the  first  shots  exchanged  between  the  English 
and  our  men  at  Ladysmith. 

The  Irish  camp  was  about  800  yards  in 
the  rear  of  the  guns,  and  our  guards  were 
posted  in  front  of  them  and  on  the  crest  of 
the  hill.  About  two  o'clock  on  Monday  morn- 
ing one  came  down,  woke  me  and  told  me  that 
a  balloon  was  moving  along  the  valley  not  far 
from  the  hill,  and  he  evidently  felt  excited  about 
it,  for  he  asked  me  if  I  didn't  think  "they  were 
after  dropping  dynamite  on  us."  When  I  told 
him  that  the  object  of  the  men  hi  the  balloon  was 
to  find  out  our  strength  and  position,  he  felt  per- 
fectly satisfied  and  returned  to  his  post. 

During  the  night,  Tom  Haney  was  on  guard  and 
Mick  Ryan  was  to  relieve  him.  When  the  hour 
arrived,  Mick  picked  up  his  rifle  and  went  to  take 
his  post.  On  approaching,  Tom  said  "  Halt  I  Who 

77 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

comes  there  ?"  "  It  is  Mick,"  was  the  reply,  and  he 
approached.  Tom  said,  "  See  here,  Mick,  you  must 
not  answer  t  Mick '  when  you  are  challenged,  but 
*  friend/  "  Mick's  reply  was,  "  Now,  Tom,  how  can 
I  answer,  'friend,'  when  I  haven't  a  friend  in  the 
world?" 

From  the  balloon  incident  I  knew  there  would 
be  trouble  in  the  early  morning.  At  the  first  sign 
of  dawn  I  got  up  and  went  to  the  hill  crest.  I 
had  not  sat  there  long  before  it  became  light 
enough  for  me  to  use  my  glasses.  Within  about 
two  minutes,  I  discovered  twenty-four  cannon 
about  2,500  yards  distant,  and  pointed  right  toward 
Pepworth  Hill.  Near  them  was  a  long  line  of 
Lancers  and  some  cavalry.  Beyond  them  and 
nearer  to  Lombard's  Kop,  I  saw  a  lot  more  cavalry. 
To  our  right  and  front,  I  saw  ten  companies  of  in- 
fantry marching  towards  us.  They  were  halted 
and  concealed  behind  some  rocks,  at  about  1,500 
yards  from  us.  I  had  seen  enough  to  be  convinced 
that  there  was  going  to  be  a  fight,  and  that  no  time 
was  to  be  lost.  I  sent  one  of  the  guards  to  tell 
the  boys  to  come  quickly,  for  there  was  going  to 
be  a  hot  fight.  He  found  them  making  coffee  and 
preparing  pig  for  breakfast.  They  forgot  their 
coffee  and  pig  and  every  thing  else,  except  their 
rifles  and  ammunition,  and  came  running  up  that 
hill  like  a  band  of  wild  Apaches.  As  fast  as  they  ar- 
rived they  would  call  out,  "Where  are  the  English?  " 

78 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

After  all  had  taken  a  good  look  at  the  cannon  and 
cavalry  in  front  of  them,  I  simply  told  them  to  re- 
member that  they  were  Irishmen,  and  then  put  them 
in  a  position  on  the  right  of  the  guns.  Command- 
ant Trichardt  had  discovered  the  English  batteries 
at  the  same  tune  that  I  did,  and  after  the  Ermelo 
Commando  had  taken  its  position  at  the  left  of  the 
guns,  he  prepared  for  immediate  action.  It  was 
just  5.45  a.  m.  Sunday  when  a  long  column  of 
curling  blue  smoke  rising  from  Long  Tom  told  us 
that  a  six-inch  shell  was  on  its  way,  to  extend  to 
the  English  an  early  welcome. 

Within  ten  seconds  the  British  batteries  re- 
sponded with  twenty-four  fifteen  pound  shells,  and 
the  Battle  of  Modderspruit  was  begun.  The  shells 
continued  to  come  so  thick  and  fast  that  by  seven 
o'clock,  Pepworth  Hill  was  so  enveloped  with 
smoke  that  it  was  with  difficulty  at  times  to  see 
the  enemy. 

Shells  were  bursting  over  our  heads,  on  the 
ground,  among  us,  and  great  chunks  of  iron  were 
whizzing  about  from  stone  to  stone.  At  times  the 
uproar  was  so  great  that  we  could  scarcely  hear 
each  other  speak,  yet  the  Irish  boys,  who  had  not 
the  least  protection,  never  once  showed  any  in- 
clination to  waver.  They  were  there  to  protect 
their  guns,  and  to  fight  the  English,  and  though 
they  could  be  killed,  they  were  not  to  be  driven 
away.  It  was  about  this  tune,  seven  o'clock,  that 

79 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  Ermelo  Commando  could  not  stand  it  any 
longer,  and  nearly  all  of  them  fell  back  about  one 
mile,  and  there  awaited  further  developments. 

Afterwards  this  same  commando  proved  to  be 
one  of  the  best,  bravest,  and  most  reckless  in  the 
field. 

It  was  about  this  time,  too,  that  six  of  those  artil- 
lery boys  were  killed  and  several  wounded. 
This  so  weakened  the  artillery  force  at  Long  Tom 
that  he  could  not  be  supplied  with  shells,  and  so 
had  to  stop  fighting.  Shells  continued  to  rain  upon 
us,  and  the  English  undoubtedly  thought  that 
Long  Tom  was  disabled,  as  he  had  ceased  to 
respond. 

As  no  Boers  could  be  found  who  would  carry 
ammunition  to  Long  Tom  during  such  a  shell  storm, 
Commandant  Grobler  came  to  me  about  seven 
o'clock  and  asked  for  four  volunteers  from  the 
Irish  Brigade,  to  serve  Long  Tom,  and  I  called 
upon  the  boys.  In  an  instant  every  one  clamored 
to  go,  and  I  sent  seven  instead  of  four,  as  being 
necessary.  In  another  three  minutes  Long  Tom 
roared  again  and  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  by  the 
commotion  it  raised  in  the  valley,  that  the 
English  were  utterly  amazed.  Of  the  seven  men 
who  volunteered  and  served  Long  Tom,  two  were 
shot.  Now  Long  Tom  and  the  two  French  field 
guns  made  it  so  very  uncomfortable  for  the  English 
that  the  number  of  shells  that  had  been  raining 

80 


MAJOR  J.  L.  PRETORIUS 

The  acknowledged  greatest  artillerist  of  the  world 
by  those  who  know  him  and  his  deeds. 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

upon  us  for  the  past  hour  and  a  half  was  reduced 
at  least  fifty  per  cent. 

Between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  the  commandos 
under  Lucas  Meyer  and  Schalk  Burger  came  into 
contact  with  French's  cavalry  on  the  extreme 
English  right.  We  could  plainly  see  warm  rifle 
firing,  and  soon  it  grew  to  be  terribly  hot,  and  then 
we  knew  that  the  English  would  be  so  hard  pushed 
that  they  would  have  to  abandon  any  hope  of 
breaking  through  our  centre  and  capturing  Long 
Tom  and  the  French  field  guns.  After  a  time  that 
brave,  keen-eyed  artillerist  and  dashing  officer, 
Captain  J.  L.  Petrorius  appeared  on  the  scene  with 
his  pom-pom  maxims,  and  so  deadly  was  his  fire 
that  French's  cavalry  had  to  fall  back. 

Major  Wolmorans  brought  his  French  guns  into 
play  on  the  English  right  also,  and  this  forced 
some  of  the  English  guns  to  drop  Pepworth  Hill, 
and  try  their  luck  with  Wolmorans.  Wolmorans 
was  too  much  for  them,  and  we  could  see  that  the 
whole  English  line  was  beginning  to  tremble,  yet 
the  battle  continued  to  rage  and  the  bullets  and 
shells  were  flying  to  and  fro  so  thick  and  fast  that 
it  would  seem  impossible  for  any  one  to  come  out 
alive. 

It  was  about  this  time,  eight  o'clock,  that  a  shell 
caught  me,  smashed  both  the  bones  of  my  arm 
near  the  elbow,  cut  the  tendon,  nerve  and  artery 
and  completely  paralysed  my  whole  arm.  I  went 

81 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

to  my  horse,  about  300  yards  away,  and  was 
fortunate  to  find  him  alive,  because  most  of 
them  near  him  had  been  killed.  A  young  Boer 
boy  helped  me  to  mount  and  I  managed  to  reach 
a  hospital  tent  about  a  mile  away,  but  it  was  a 
close  call,  for  I  had  grown  very  weak  from  loss  of 
so  much  blood.  As  I  passed  my  camp,  I  could  not 
help  smiling,  for  it  was  completely  destroyed,  and 
I  knew  that  when  the  Irish  boys  saw  it  again, 
there  would  be  plenty  of  Irish  wit  in  the  air. 

Finally  about  two  p.  m.  the  Boer  fire  became  so 
warm  and  deadly  that  the  Lancers  with  their  cold 
British  steel,  and  the  whole  British  army,  bolted, 
and  a  pellmell  retreat  followed,  in  which  everyone 
seemed  bent  on  getting  into  Ladysmith  as  quickly 
as  possible,  regardless  of  consequences.  Such  was 
their  anxiety  to  escape,  that  they  crowded  together 
like  a  flock  of  sheep,  and  it  may  be  taken  as  a  fact 
that  Captain  Pretorius  did  not  fail  to  try  his  pom- 
pom guns  on  such  a  magnificent  target. 

The  Lancers  threw  away  their  cold  British  steel, 
helmets,  guns,  ammunition,  and  everything  of  weight 
that  might  impede  fast  running ;  and  so  ended  the 
Battle  of  Modderspruit. 

On  our  right  at  Nickolson's  Nek,  something 
happened  that  we  on  Pepworth  Hill  knew  nothing 
about,  till  the  battle  was  over,  although  the  Nek 
was  in  plain  view.  During  the  previous  night, 
General  White  sent  two  regiments  under  Colonel 

82 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

Carleton  to  take  possession  of  Nickolson's  Nek  and 
the  adjoining  big  hill.  Before  they  reached  the 
Nek,  some  Boer  guards  saw  them  and  fired  upon 
them.  Colonel  Carleton,  who  was  in  command,  had 
with  him  a  lot  of  pack  mules  carrying  several 
mountain  guns.  It  seems  these  mules  did  not 
like  fighting,  so  they  deserted  with  their  cannon 
and  joined  the  Boers.  However,  Colonel  Carleton 
got  the  Nek  and  the  big  hill  much  to  his  regret. 
The  wily  Christian  De  Wet  (afterwards  General 
De  Wet)  happened  to  be  near  at  hand.  In  the 
early  morning  some  Pretoria  town  boys,  Johannes- 
burg police,  and  a  few  Free  Staters  discovered 
the  unwise  Colonel  and  his  men  on  the  Nek  and 
hill.  Having  placed  themselves  in  a  sluit  about 
1,000  yards  away,  thev  gave  the  Colonel  a  warm 
rifle  salute.  Carleton  and  his  men  of  course  re- 
sponded. Cunning  De  Wet  took  about  200 
Free  Staters,  slipped  around  the  hill,  crept 
up  it  and  fired  into  Colonel  Carleton's  rear. 
No  man  likes  to  be  shot  in  the  rear,  so  Colonel 
Carleton  hoisted  his  white  flag,  and  with  about 
900  of  his  men  went  to  Pretoria  to  see  Oom 
Paul.  Of  course  General  White  thinks  that 
if  the  mules  with  the  cannon  had  not  stampeded, 
Colonel  Carleton  would  have  been  all  right  and 
would  have  given  the  Boers  particular  —  well,  I 
will  put  it  mildly  and  say  fits. 

Now  a  word  about  those  mountain  guns.     The 
Boers  would  take  a  good  look  at   them,    give  2 

83 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

sarcastic  smile  and  walk  away.  Those  guns  are 
about  as  much  use  in  war  as  so  many  popguns 
would  be,  and  it  is  a  question  with  me  whether  I 
would  rather  fire  one  of  them  or  stand  100 
feet  in  front  of  it,  and  let  some  one  fire  at  me. 
They  might  prove  useful  in  scaring  unarmed  nig- 
gers, who  had  never  heard  a  loud  noise.  The 
Boers  are  not  niggers,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  whole  British  press  labored  hard  during 
the  year  preceding  the  war  to  make  the  world  be- 
lieve they  were  niggers,  and  savage  ones,  too.  The 
Boer  has  heard  too  many  lions  roar  to  be  fright- 
ened to  death  by  a  popgun ;  but  an  incompetent 
British  general  must  have  some  kind  of  an  excuse 
to  explain  away  his  blunders,  so  General  White 
attributes  his  defeat  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  a 
mule,  and  receives  the  congratulations  of  his  Queen. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  battle  Commandant 
General  Piet  Joubert  called  up  the  Irish  boys, 
thanked  them,  congratulated  them,  and  told  them 
that  the  brave  stand  they  had  made  and  their 
serving  of  Long  Tom  had  prevented  a  grave 
disaster  and  enabled  the  Boers  to  gain  a  great 
victory  over  the  enemy. 

Young  Tommie  Gates,  who  carried  the  green  flag, 
and  young  Cox,  another  brave  boy,  were  both  shot 
dead,  and  buried  on  Pepworth  Hill,  facing  the 
enemies'  position.  Hugh  Carbury  was  shot  through 
the  head,  the  bullet  striking  the  very  centre  of  his 

84 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

forehead.  How  he  lived  for  even  an  instant  no  one 
could  understand.  Dr.  Max  Mehliss  and  Dr.  Lilpop 
took  him,  operated  upon  him  and  within  three 
days  he  was  walking  about  the  temporary  hospital. 
Finally  orders  were  received  for  all  the  wounded, 
eighty-five  in  number,  to  be  sent  to  Pretoria.  I 
would  not  go,  because  1  knew  that  I  must  stay  near 
the  Irish  Brigade.  Hugh  Carbury  went  to  Pretoria 
and  so  far  recovered  that  he  was  walking  around 
the  town.  In  about  three  months  he  had  a  stroke 
of  paralysis  and  died,  and  the  Irish  Brigade  lost  one 
of  its  best  and  bravest  boys.  Andy  Higgins,  Olsen, 
Kepner,  Tinen,  Barnes  and  Gaynor  were  also  wound- 
ed, but  all  recovered.  Many  others  had  holes  shot 
through  their  clothing  but  escaped  uninjured.  For 
months  after  this  battle,  the  Irish  boys  and  the 
Boers  amused  themselves  playing  a  game  known 
as  "mumble  peg"  with  the  cold  British  steel  that 
the  Lancers  on  their  hurried  retreat  thought  un- 
necessary to  carry  with  them  into  Ladysmith.  The 
Lancers  were  now  armed  with  rifles  and  converted 
into  mounted  infantry,  and  I  don't  think  that  a  lance 
was  ever  after  seen  on  any  battle  field  during  the 
rest  of  the  war.  When  we  captured  the  Eighteenth 
Hussars,  we  asked  them  for  their  flag  and  we  were 
inf ormed  that  they  didn't  carry  any.  Now  Christian 
De  Wet  had  captured  two  regiments,  the  Dublin 
Fusiliers  and  the  Gloucesters,  and  when  asked  for 
their  flags  they  answered  that  all  regiments  had 

85 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

received  orders  to  leave  all  colors  and  flags  behind^ 
locked  up  in  the  vaults  at  Durban,  Pietermaritzburg 
and  Cape  Town.  Of  course  every  regiment  was 
provided  with  the  necessary  white  flag,  and  everyone 
found  that  flag  a  most  useful  and  lif e-saving  piece  of 
cloth.  Not  a  battalion  and  not  a  regiment  carried 
either  its  own  colors  or  its  country's  flag  into  the 
battle  field,  throughout  the  whole  war.  This  alone 
should  be  sufficient  proof  of  the  cowardice  and 
degeneracy  of  the  British  army,  and  at  the  same 
time  explain  the  pig-sticking  at  Elandslaagte  and 
the  use  of  the  dum-dum  and  split  bullets  by  the 
soldiers. 

There,  can  be  neither  pride  nor  honor  among 
either  officers  or  soldiers  of  any  army  when  they  hide 
away  their  country's  flag  for  safe  keeping,  on  the  eve 
of  battle.  I  have  an  idea  that  every  regiment  consid- 
ered the  carrying  of  its  colors  and  flag  into  battle 
from  a  business  point  of  view,  for  if  their  flag  were 
not  carried  into  battle  it  would  not  be  necessary  to 
make  requisition  for  a  new  supply  after  the  battle. 
However,  I  will  guarantee  that  any  one  visiting  the 
various  regimental  headquarters  throughout  Eng- 
land, will  find  in  every  one  of  them  a  tattered  and 
torn  flag  bearing  the  names  of  many  great  battles  in 
South  Africa  in  which  it  floated ;  and  in  which  its 
brave  defenders  performed  wonderful  deeds  and 
added  another  glorious  victory  to  the  British  army 
in  the  face  of  overwhelming  odds. 

86 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

Every  one  asks  "why  didn't  the  Boers  follow  up 
this  pell-mell  retreat  of  the  English  into  Lady- 
smith  ?  "  The  fact  is  that  the  Boer  is  too  pious, 
too  religious  and,  therefore,  too  humane  to  battle 
with  such  an  unscrupulous  people  as  the  English. 
Commandant  General  Piet  Joubert  was  a  grand 
man,  grown  old  and.  mellow  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  a  most  religious  and  humane  man,  who 
looked  upon  the  English  as  a  Christian  people,  and 
he  felt  that  it  would  be  unchristian-like  to  follow  up 
and  shoot  down  his  retreating  enemy. 

When  the  English  were  well  out  of  range,  and 
the  commandos  returned  to  their  laagers,  they  held 
their  services,  and  then  began  to  make  their  coffee 
and  prepare  their  food,  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
Every  pot,  kettle,  blanket  and  tent,  etc.,  in  the 
Irish  camp  was  simply  riddled  by  shells,  so  that 
they  had  to  be  supplied  with  a  completely  new 
outfit.  This  resulted  because  our  camp  was  about 
300  yards  in  the  rear  of  the  guns,  and  the  English 
guns  were  so  located  that  every  shell  that  passed 
over  our  heads  must  fall  in  or  near  it.  Judging 
by  appearances  one  could  easily  be  made  believe 
that  about  all  the  shells  fired  by  the  British  landed 
in  the  camp,  for  it  was  certainly  a  total  wreck. 

Now  that  the  battle  was  over,  the  dead  and 
wounded  must  be  cared  for,  and  our  ambulances 
were  very  busy  the  whole  afternoon,  because  they 
had  to  pick  up  a  dead  or  wounded  man  here  and 
there  along  a  line  six  miles  in  extent. 

87 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

General  White  sent  out  his  white  flags  request- 
ing truce  after  truce,  for  one  or  two  days  or  more, 
that  he  might  be  permitted  to  care  properly  for  his 
dead  or  wounded.  His  ambulance  men  certainly 
were  busy ;  at  the  same  time  his  men  were  very 
busy  in  another  way.  All  were  occupied  day  and 
night  in  building  forts,  digging  holes  and  throwing 
up  earth  works  of  various  kinds.  General  Joubert, 
being  very  humane,  granted  White  all  the  time  he 
wished,  to  take  care  of  his  dead,  but,  of  course, 
never  once  suspected  that  advantage  would  be 
taken  of  the  truce  to  prepare  defenses.  The 
humanity  of  the  Boer  in  time  of  war  is  his 
greatest  weakness,  while  the  unscrupulousness  of 
the  Englishman  is  his  greatest  strength  in  time  of 
peace  or  war. 

As  a  result  of  the  English  retreat,  the  Boers 
took  possession  of  all  the  hills  and  mountains 
around  Ladysmith,  with  the  exception  of  one,  and 
that  one  was  of  the  greatest  importance  of  them 
all.  It  was  the  Platrand,  lying  just  south  of 
Ladysmith.  As  the  Boers  did  not  occupy  Plat- 
rand,  the  English  after  a  time  took  possession  of 
it.  Had  the  Boers  seized  this  Platrand,  as  well  as 
the  other  positions,  General  White  could  not  have 
held  Ladysmith  three  days.  About  one-half  the 
Boer  forces  were  used  to  invest  Ladysmith,  the 
other  half  went  to  the  Tugela  River,  and  took  pos- 
ition along  the  hills  in  front  of  Colenso,  a  little 

88 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

town  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  Ladysmith. 
Within  a  week  from  the  investment  of  Ladysmith, 
we  had  our  maximum  force  in  Natal,  numbering 
nearly  12,500  men.  They  were  distributed  about 
Ladysmith,  along  Tugela  River  and  at  Helpmakaar, 
about  fifty  miles  eastward  of  Ladysmith.  The 
Irish  Brigade  took  its  position  in  the  Modderspruit 
valley,  about  one  mile  to  the  east  of  Pepworth, 
and  about  1000  yards  from  the  hospital,  where  I 
could  see  it  plainly.  The  Platrand  and  Ladysmith 
were  in  plain  view,  and  about  once  a  week  the 
Irish  brigade  and  camp  was  shelled.  No  damage 
was  ever  done,  however.  Although  not  yet  re- 
covered, I  returned  to  duty  on  December  12,  for  I 
was  needed.  The  Long  Tom  and  howitzer  on 
Pepworth  Hill,  were  our  especial  care,  and 
fifty  of  the  boys  slept  with  the  guns  every  night 
during  that  long  siege  of  four  months.  The  hill 
is  low  and  of  very  easy  ascent  on  all  sides,  yet  not 
once  did  the  English  ever  try  to  interfere  with  the 
guns  by  any  night  attack.  Commandant  General 
Joubert's  headquarters  were  to  our  left  and  rear 
about  one  mile,  as  we  faced  Ladysmith,  and  every 
white  flag  bearer  from  General  White  had  to  pass 
us  to  reach  General  Joubert.  We  would  stop  the 
bearer,  forward  the  report,  and  have  a  chat  with 
the  gentleman  from  the  city.  They  were  always 
anxious  to  know  just  where  the  Irish  camp  was, 
and  were  always  told  just  where  it  was,  and  had  it 

89 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

pointed  out  to  them  besides ;  yet  the  English  never 
once  attacked  that  camp  except  with  cannon,  either 
day  or  night  during  the  siege.  The  English  seemed 
to  want  us  badly,  but  never  could  make  up  their 
minds  to  come  and  get  us,  although  we  offered 
them  every  inducement.  In  my  opinion,  it  Avas  a 
good  thing  for  us  that  they  didn't  come,  for  we 
had  no  defences  and  were  very  few  in  number; 
still  they  would  have  had  to  pay  a  heavy  price  for 
anything  they  might  get  in  that  camp,  for  the 
Irish  boys  were  fighters,  and  not  to  be  frightened 
at  the  appearance  of  a  large  force  of  English. 
One  Long  Tom  was  placed  on  Lombard's  Kop, 
another  at  Bulwana  Kop,  and  still  another  on  the 
low  hills  west  of  the  town.  Early  in  December,  a 
strong  force  came  out,  ascended  Lombard's  Kop, 
blew  up  the  Long  Tom  and  a  howitzer,  and  re- 
turned to  town  very  jubilant,  and  they  had  reason 
to  be,  too,  for  it  was  a  plucky  piece  of  work. 

There  were  twelve  artillery  boys  with  these 
guns,  and  no  more.  They  managed  to  kill  one, 
and  wound  four  or  five  Tommies  before  they  left 
their  guns.  Long  Tom  was  sent  to  Pretoria,  and 
in  about  two  weeks,  began  to  tell  the  English  that 
he  was  well  and  hearty  once  more.  Major  Erasmus 
and  Lieutenant  Wynand  Malan  were  highly  cen- 
sured by  the  Boer  Government  for  neglect  of  duty, 
etc.,  in  allowing  these  guns  to  be  blown  up,  but  they 
were  truly  innocent.  They  had  tried  by  letter  and 

90 


Col.  Blake,  hia>  two  sons,  Aldrich  and  Ledyard,  in  America,  and  Lieut. 
Wjnand  Malan  who  was  so  undeservedly  held  partially  respon- 
sible for  the  destruction  of  Long  Tom  on  Lombard's  Kop. 


The  Boer  Ultimatum 

every  other  way  to  get  General  Daniel  Erasmus 
and  Schalk  Burger  to  give  them  a  guard  for  the 
night,  but  no  guard  was  ever  given.  If  any  one 
or  two  should  be  censured  or  shot,  that  one  or  two 
was  General  Erasmus  and  Schalk  Burger.  Lieuten- 
ant Malan  proved  himself  to  be  a  patriotic,  efficient 
and  brave  soldier  to  the  very  end  of  the  war. 
About  ten  days  later  the  English  made  another 
night  excursion  to  a  high  hill  near  Nicholson's  Nek, 
and  succeeded  in  blowing  up  a  howitzer.  They 
were  about  700  strong,  and  to  defend  the 
howitzer,  there  were  about  150  Pretoria  town 
boys,  and  no  better  boys  or  soldiers  ever  shoul- 
dered the  rifle.  They  were  fighters,  and  met 
the  English  in  a  hand-to-hand  combat.  After 
the  howitzer  was  blown  up,  a  contest  took  place 
between  the  mauser  and  cold  British  steel. 
The  mauser  won  easily,  cold  British  steel 
was  buried,  and  we  have  never  heard  from 
it  from  that  day  to  this.  The  Boer's  loss  in  the 
contest  was  three  killed  and  four  wounded.  The 
British  officially  reported  fifty-four  killed  and 
wounded,  but  I  don't  know  how  much  truth  there 
is  in  this  report,  because  no  faith  can  be  put  in  any 
British  report.  The  British  officer  always  gives 
his  report  as  so  many  killed  and  wounded  and  so 
many  missing.  The  missing  seldom  show  up,  but 
this  gives  them  the  opportunity  of  fooling  the 
British  public,  and  creates  an  impression  among 

91 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  people  that  they  have  gained  a  victory  and 
not  suffered  a  defeat.  Of  course  people  are  always 
convinced  that  the  missing  will  turn  up  either 
during  the  day  or  the  night. 


92 


CHAPTER  V. 

BESIEGING   LADYSMITH. 

Not  a  day  passed  without  a  set-to  taking  place 
between  one  or  more  of  the  commandos  and  the 
English.  If  the  latter  did  not  come  out,  the 
Boers  would  go  in,  and,  hi  many  instances,  some 
very  hot  skirmishes  resulted.  Such  sports  lasted 
usually  about  half  an  hour,  when  the  English,  al- 
most invariably  turned  tail  and  ran  back  into 
their  places  of  safety. 

All  burghers  not  directly  engaged  in  these 
skirmishes,  would  secure  good  seats  among  the 
rocks  and  light  their  pipes  and  enjoy  themselves 
watching  these  shooting  matches,  as  much  as  they 
would  Barnum's  circus.  One  day  about  fifty  of  the 
Irish  boys  were  induced  to  go  on  a  visit  to  a  big 
fort,  right  at  the  town,  and  they  went ;  but  just  how 
they  got  out  of  the  circle  of  fire  within  which  they 
found  themselves  is  a  mystery  to  them  and  to  me 
to  this  day,  but  all  came  back  safe  and  sound, 
bringing  with  them  a  few  good  horses  and  mules, 
and  reported  one  captain  and  three  Tommies  killed. 
They  went  without  my  knowledge,  and  certainly  I 
would  never  have  given  my  consent,  for  it  was  an 

93 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

idiotic  act  on  their  part.  The  boys  themselves,  how- 
ever, were  not  to  blame.  They  were  induced  to 
believe  that  the  Boers  were  going  too,  and  that  they 
would  be  strongly  re-enforced  by  them.  The  Boers 
had  no  idea  of  going,  for  they  had  too  much  sense, 
and  had  the  boys  known  this,  they  would  never 
have  gone ;  so  they  told  me  on  their  return.  I  was 
still  in  the  hospital,  and  that  is  the  reason  I  knew 
nothing  about  it.  They  complained  to  me  that 
"they"  were  making  fools  of  them  and  wanted  me 
to  return  to  camp  and  stop  that  kind  of  business. 
Nothing  could  possibly  be  gained  by  the  venture, 
and  the  chances  were  a  hundred  to  one  that  much 
loss  of  life  would  result.  When  the  Boers  saw  them 
actually  at  the  town  they  thought  the  Irish  had 
gone  crazy  or  had  deserted  to  the  English.  For 
several  days  afterwards,  some  of  the  boys  would 
slip  around  the  ravines,  get  near  the  town,  jump  some 
horses  and  mules,  and,  at  full  speed,  under  cannon 
and  maxim  fire,  return  to  camp.  The  English 
always  kept  some  coolies  on  guard  over  their  horses 
and  mules,  but  just  one  shot  was  enough  to  put  each 
coolie  to  flight.  The  English  finally  put  up  a  trap 
to  catch  the  boys  and  some  of  them  came  nearly 
falling  into  it.  They  concealed  a  hand  maxim  and 
two  men  in  a  pit  near  the  horses,  and  with  a  small, 
but  strong  rope,  tied  each  horse  to  a  stake.  The 
coolie  had  orders,  of  course,  to  run  as  soon  as  the 
Irish  boys  came  in  sight.  It  was  supposed  that  the 

94 


Besieging  Ladysmith 

boys  would  make  a  rush  to  start  the  horses  off  pn 
a  run,  and,  011  finding  the  horses  tied,  would  stop  to 
loosen  them.  But  the  boys  discovered  the  ropes, 
surmised  that  a  trap  was  laid,  and  made  a  hasty 
retreat,  though  not  before  this  concealed  maxim  and 
two  men  popped  up  above  the  ground  and  began  to 
pepper  them.  Sergeant  Major  O'Reilly  was  partic- 
ularly smart  at  this  business,  and  he  took  no  less 
than  thirty  horses  and  mules.  He  is  Africander 
born,  but  an  Irishman  to  the  backbone,  and  has  all 
the  pluck  and  daring  of  his  race.  They  were  not 
permitted  to  go  again  after  horses,  because  it  was 
thought  too  risky. 

The  English  were  constantly  trying  to  break 
through  the  Free  Stater's  line  on  the  west  side,  for, 
having  broken  through  them,  they  could  cross  the 
Tugela  River  near  Spion  Kop,  go  around  the  Boers 
at  Colenso,  and  proceed  to  Maritzburg,  so  here  it 
was  that  most  of  the  heavy  fighting  took  place  during 
the  siege.  Yet  with  all  their  cannon  and  men,  they 
could  never  break  through  that  weak  little  line. 
The  Free  State  men  were  bold,  and  would  often 
rush  through  the  English  lines  and  bring  out  thou- 
sands of  cattle,  horses  and  mules.  Almost  every 
night  there  was  an  alarm,  and,  with  twTo  or  three 
exceptions,  it  proved  to  be  always  a  false  one,  but 
all  had  to  turn  out  just  the  same,  because  it  would 
not  do  to  take  any  chances.  The  result  was  that 
everybody,  at  night,  would  roll  up  in  his  blanket 

95 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

with  boots  and  clothes  on,  that  he  might  be  ready 
in  an  instant  to  use  his  rifle.  These  alarms  would 
generally  occur  between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  when  we  heard  the  rifles  popping 
away  in  many  directions,  out  we  would  run,  take 
our  fighting  positions  andthere  sit  and  watch  till  day- 
light. I  never  rolled  out  of  blanket  but  twice 
without  f eeling  that  the  alarm  was  false,  and  on  the 
first  occasion  I  told  the  boys  that  we  were  in  for  a 
red  hot  fight.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  about 
200  of  the  Lydenburg  Commando  were  posted  on 
guard  to  our  left  and  front,  that  is,  just  in  front  of 
General  Joubert's  headquarters.  It  was  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  were  aroused  by 
a  rifle  fire  so  terrific  that  one  could  easily  have 
believed  that  all  the  forces  about  Ladysmith  were 
engaged  in  a  hot  fight.  Those  Lydenburgers  were 
so  close  that  we  felt  we  were  actually  in  the  fighting 
line,  yet  were  not  engaged.  You  may  be  sure  that  we 
did  not  lose  a  second  in  getting  into  our  positions. 
As  the  fighting  continued,  we  could  easily  see 
the  sparks  of  fire  from  the  rifles,  yet  we  could  not 
see  any  English,  nor  could  we  discover  any  return 
fire.  In  this  state  of  doubt  and  anxiety  we  sat  and 
watched  for  half  an  hour,  when  the  firing  ceased.  It 
ceased  because  the  Lydenburgers,  feeling  that 
they  could  not  hold  their  position  any  longer, 
retreated  and  took  up  another  post  at  General 
Joubert's  headquarters.  For  a  circuit  of  three 

96 


Besieging  Ladysmith 

miles  all  the  commandos  were  in  a  terrible  state  of 
excitement  because  they  believed  that  the  English 
had  made  a  strong  attack  on  Joubert's  headquarters. 
All  the  men  felt  that  the  English  would  have  to 
clean  up  the  Irish  boys  before  the  General's  camp 
would  be  taken,  but  they  didn't  know  but  that  the 
Irish  boys  had  been  finished.  General  Joubert 
was  not  in  the  least  excited,  but  was  very  angry  at 
the  Lydenburgers  for  leaving  their  position,  for 
he  knew  there  were  no  English  on  the  ground, 
otherwise  they  would  have  followed  up.  He  sent 
a  couple  of  good  men  to  investigate.  They  found 
that  a  poor  old  mule  had  escaped  from  Ladysmith 
and  had  come  out  our  way  in  search  of  something 
to  eat  and  that  poor  old  mule  was  quietly  eating 
his  grass  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  although  at 
least  10,000  shots  had  been  fired  close  to  his 
ears.  The  Lydenburghers  were  then  ordered 
back  to  their  post  and  all  was  serene  once  more. 

Now  I  shall  tell  about  another  alarm  when  I 
was  sure  we  had  a  fight  on  hand.  It  was  about 
two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  hot 
firing  was  heard  right  by  our  camp,  not  to 
the  left  and  front  as  before,  but  to  our  left  and  rear 
this  time.  I  felt  terribly  frightened  and  hustled  the 
men  out  as  they  were  never  hustled  before.  I  felt 
sure  that  the  English  were  actually  firing  into 
General  Joubert's  headquarters.  The  firing  did 
not  last  more  than  three  minutes ;  then  all  was 

97 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

quiet  again.  One  of  the  Irish  boys  went  out  to 
investigate.  He  moved  carefully,  and  after  await- 
ing about  twenty  minutes,  returned  and  reported, 
"Oh  it  is  those  damned  Lydenburgers  again." 
Some  Lydenburgers  were  guarding  an  English 
Kaffir  spy  that  some  of  the  Boer  boys  had  captured, 
and,  the  night  being  dark,  the  Kaffir  made  a  break 
for  liberty.  Not  only  the  guard,  but  all  the  Ly- 
denburgers, 1,000  strong,  jumped  out  and  began 
to  fire,  on  the  supposition  that  there  must  be  some 
English  somewhere  in  front. 

That  Lydenburg  Commando  could  stir  up  more 
false  alarms  than  all  the  other  commandos  around 
Ladysmith  put  together,  yet  during  the  whole  war, 
I  don't  believe  they  were  ever  in  a  fight.  David 
Schoeman  was  commandant  and  Piet  Swartz  was 
the  chief  veldtcornet,  and  wherever  you  found 
them,  you  might  be  sure  you  would  find  no  Eng- 
lish, and  that  you  could  lie  down  to  sleep  without 
any  fear  of  being  disturbed,  except  by  a  false 
alarm. 

Every  morning  when  it  was  sufficiently  light  to 
see  moving  objects  in  and  about  Ladysmith,  all 
the  Long  Toms  and  howitzers  would  open  up  and 
drive  every  one  into  the  hole  provided  for  safety. 
After  that,  silence  would  reign  until  about  ten  a.  m., 
when  an  artillery  duel  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes' 
duration  would  be  fought,  just  to  vary  the 
monotony.  Then  all  would  be  quiet  again  until 

98 


Besieging  Ladysmith. 

about  four  p.  m.  when  some  English  cavalry  would 
come  out  to  see  if  there  were  any  gates  open  in  the 
Free  Stater's  line.  A  lively  skirmish  would  ensue, 
the  English  would  fly  back  to  their  holes,  and  the 
day's  work  was  done.  As  the  English  were  kept  in 
their  holes  all  day,  of  course  they  had  to  get  out 
and  do  their  necessary  work  at  night.  The  Boers 
thought  they  would  hamper  them  somewhat  in 
their  work,  so  at  sundown,  they  would  load  and 
aim  all  their  cannon  and  at  the  hour  of  midnight 
would  all  fire  at  once.  This  caused  the  English  so 
much  annoyance  that  they  in  turn  tried  the  same 
game  on  us,  but  never  did  us  any  harm.  I  have 
now  given  the  usual  program  both  for  the  day 
and  night  during  the  siege  of  Ladysmith,  and 
while  I  could  write  page  after  page  describing  in- 
cident after  incident  that  occurred  during  the  long 
siege,  yet  I  do  not  care  to  do  it,  because  it  would 
mean  more  work  for  me  and  prove  tiresome  to  the 
reader. 

In  a  nut-shell,  the  Boers  had  a  delightful  time, 
lived  in  luxury,  had  their  sports,  smoked  their 
pipes,  drank  their  coffee,  entertained  visiting  friends 
and  when  there  was  a  fight  they  were  always  ready 
for  it. 


99 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BRITISH   TREACHERY    AT   COLENSO. 

Now  I  pass  on  to  Colenso,  where,  in  a  short  time 
some  lively  work  was  to  be  done,  and,  in  passing,  I 
must  try  to  put  the  reader  in  a  position  to  see  the 
situation  as  it  really  was.  Do  not  be  frightened, 
however,  for  I  am  not  going  to  give  you  long  de- 
scriptions of  positions  or  battles  in  the  future,  but 
will  confine  myself  to  relating  just  what  I  think 
will  prove  most  interesting  and  nothing  more.  If 
my  life  depended  upon  it,  I  could  not  write  even  an 
approximately  correct  history  of  the  war;  and  I  am 
sure  that  no  one  else  could  do  it,  because  the  mili- 
tary operations  were  spread  over  such  a  large  extent 
of  country.  Of  course  the  London  Times  has  pub- 
lished a  correct  history  of  the  war,  and  so  has  Conan 
Doyle  written  and  published  a  correct  history  of 
the  war;  the  only  time  that  a  great  newspaper  and 
a  popular  novelist  ever  competed  in  the  art  of  fic- 
tion. Both  won. 

During  the  Battle  of  Modderspruit,  General  Lucas 
Meyer  fell  sick  and  went  home.  No  one  wished 
him  to  die,  but  no  one  was  sorry  that  he  had  to  go 
home.  He  was  as  hopelessly  incompetent  to  com- 

100 


British  Treachery  at  Colenso 

mand  as  either  General  Erasmus  or  General  Schnlk 
Burger,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal.  The  gods 
were  with  us  now,  sure  enough,  for  Louis  Botha,  a 
private,  was  made  a  general  in  Meyer's  place.  Botha 
was  young, — about  thirty-five, — energetic,  brave,  a 
quick  and  able  soldier,  and  he  at  once  put  himself 
to  work.  He  made  the  Boers  dig  trenches  in  the 
hills  and  along  the  river  bank  in  front  of  Colenso, 
and  built  stone  walls  for  protection,  for  he  knew 
that  Buller  would  come  with  a  strong  force  and 
many  cannon.  Certain  it  was  that  a  big  battle 
was  to  be  fought  at  Colenso,  because  Ladysmith 
must  be  relieved.  The  Tugela  wound  along  at 
the  base  of  the  hills,  and  beyond  it  was  an  open 
plain  over  which  Buller  must  come.  Botha  was 
now  ready  for  any  army  that  might  show  itself. 
The  railway  bridge  and  the  wagon  road-crossing 
were  just  in  front  of  his  line  of  trenches,  and  there 
the  heavy  fighting  must  take  place. 

Buller  with  about  35,000  men  and  ninety-six 
cannon  finally  came  into  view,  camped  at  the  little 
towns  of  Chieveley  and  Frere,  about  six  or  seven 
miles  away,  and  from  there  sent  out  his  recon- 
noitring parties. 

The  Boers  "  laid  low  and  said  nothing,"  not  a 
rifle  or  cannon  was  fired,  and  all  was  as  silent  as 
the  grave. 

On  December  15th,  General  Buller  made  up  his 
mind  to  relieve  Ladysmith,  as,  apparently,  there 

101 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

was  no  obstacle  in  his  way.  He  moved  out  his 
forces  in  beautiful  battle-array,  brought  his  cannon 
into  position  and  opened  fire  upon  all  the  hills. 
If  there  were  really  any  Boers  in  those  hills  his 
heavy  lyddite  shells  would  soon  make  them  shift 
and  abandon  those  parts.  Soon  the  earth  seemed 
to  be  hi  a  tremble,  gravel  and  stones  were  whizzing 
through  the  air,  and  the  roaring  of  the  bursting 
shells  on  the  hills  and  mountains  in  the  rear  was 
simply  terrific  and  deafening,  yet  the  Boers  "laid 
low  and  said  nothing."  Soon  the  English  became 
convinced  that  there  was  no  enemy  in  the  hills  or 
along  the  river  banks,  so  all  the  cannon  ceased  firing 
and  a  deadly  silence  reigned  as  the  English-Irish 
regiments  with  steady  step  advanced  toward  the 
river.  When  within  easy  range,  the  silent  Boers 
along  the  river  banks  raised  their  mausers,  made 
them  sing  in  unerring  tones,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
Captain  Pretorius  roared  from  the  hills  his  pom- 
pom and  cannon  to  make  complete  the  scene  of  death 
and  destruction.  Soon  the  plain  of  Colenso  was 
strewn  with  dead  and  wounded  Irish  Tommies,  and 
at  the  very  time  when  the  battle  was  raging  at  its 
highest  pitch,  ambulances  in  great  numbers  rushed 
into  the  field,  apparently  to  assist  the  unfortunate, 
but,  in  fact,  to  stop  the  Boers  in  their  deadly  work. 
Screened  by  these  ambulances,  twelve  Armstrong 
cannon  came  into  the  field,  but  the  quick  eye  of 
Captain  Pretorius  detected  them,  and  at  once  he 

102 


COMMANDANT  GENERAL  LOUIS  BOTHA. 


British  Treachery  at  Colenso 

sent  some  shells  that  landed  among  them.  These 
then  scattered  and  fled  for  safety  and  exposed  the 
twelve  cannon  to  the  Boer  and  his  mauser.  Artil- 
lery men  and  artillery  horses  were  quickly  shot 
down  and  the  guns  rendered  useless.  Rescuing 
parties  made  bold  attempts  to  save  the  guns,  but 
the  Boer  and  his  mauser  mowed  them  down.  Here 
it  was  that  Lieutenant  Roberts,  a  son  of  Lord 
Roberts,  an  English  politician  and  financier, 
bravely  met  his  death. 

Now  the  British  began  to  fall  back,  and  about 
200  Boers  and  Irish  boys  rushed  across  the  river, 
seized  ten  of  the  guns  (two  had  been  rescued),  Col- 
onel Bullock  and  a  good  bunch  of  prisoners,  and  re- 
crossed  the  river,  landing  in  safety  within  their 
own  lines.  Strange  to  say,  all  this  was  accom- 
plished right  under  the  eyes  of  the  whole  British 
force,  without  any  resistance  being  offered.  They 
all  evidently  felt  sick,  had  had  enough  and  wanted 
to  go  home,  and  they  did,  without  delay  or  cere- 
mony return  to  their  homes  in  Chieveley  and  Frere. 

General  Louis  Botha  had  now  fought  his  first 
battle,  won  an  easy  victory  and  destroyed  British 
prestige,  and  that,  too,  with  a  loss  of  but  six  men 
killed  and  a  small  number  wounded.  I  don't  know 
what  the  English  loss  was,  and  I  don't  believe  the 
English  know  either,  for  it  was  only  last  September 
or  October  that  Mr.  Chamberlain,  in  answer  to  a 
question  on  the  subject  made  by  a  Scotch  member, 

103 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

staled  that  the  list  of  the  dead  in  South  Africa  was 
not  yet  completed.  It  is  barely  possible  that  Mr. 
Chamberlain  is  still  waiting  for  his  missing  thou- 
sands to  show  up.  Sure  it  is,  St.  Peter  has  com- 
pleted the  list,  and  when  Chamberlain  and  Milner 
follow  up  Rhodes,  no  doubt  each  will  be  supplied 
with  certified  rolls  of  the  names  of  their  thousands 
of  victims  in  South  Africa.  I  can  see  a  very 
warm  future  ahead  for  the  South  African  Trinity. 
After  all  was  over,  the  British  sent  a  wail  to  the 
remotest  part  of  the  civilized  world,  to  the  effect 
that  the  Boers  had  deliberately  fired  upon  the  red 
cross  ambulance,  in  utter  disregard  of  the  rules  of 
the  Geneva  Convention.  Those  ambulances  were 
rushed  into  the  immediate  line  of  fire  in  order  to 
stop  the  Boers  from  shooting  down  the  English 
soldiers,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  serve  as  a  screen 
for  the  two  batteries  in  reaching  their  coveted 
position.  The  infamous  game  was  detected,  a  shell 
scattered  and  put  to  flight  the  ambulances,  the 
Tommies  continued  to  fall,  and  ten  guns  of  the  two 
batteries  being  now  completely  exposed  and  with- 
in easy  mauser  range,  were  quickly  captured.  Yes, 
Mr.  Englishman,  as  you  cannot  fight  honorably  and 
win,  you  must  resort  to  infamous  methods  and 
manufacture  excuses  for  failure  out  of  deliberate 
falsehoods.  Had  your  little  game  succeeded,  the 
batteries  reached  their  coveted  position  and  proved 
disastrous  to  the  Boer  forces,  it  would  never  have 

104 


British  Treachery  at  Colenso 

occurred  to  you  to  mention  this  ambulance  in- 
cident. 

General  Botha  having  granted  General  Duller  all 
the  time  he  wished  for  to  care  for  his  thousands  of 
dead  and  wounded,  the  Boers  returned  to  their 
pipes  and  coffee,  their  usual  daily  services  and  their 
peaceful  way  of  camp  lif e,without  its  once  occurring 
to  them  that  their  deeds,  on  that  day,  had  made 
them  known,  respected  and  honored  throughout 
the  civilized  world. 

Of  course  this  does  not  include  the  British  Gov- 
ernment in  London,  Silly  Billy  of  Germany  or  the 
English  Government  in  Washington,  D.  C.  The 
fifty  Irish  boys  who  went  down  for  the  day  and 
were  in  the  very  hottest  of  the  fight,  and  Avho  partic- 
ularly distinguished  themselves  by  being  among  the 
very  first  to  seize  the  English  cannon,  now  returned 
to  camp  at  Modderspruit;  but  they  were  so  restless 
and  jubilant  that  it  was  plain  that  something  must 
be  done  to  pacify  them,  so  it  was  suggested  that 
we  arrange  for  some  sports,  as  Christmas  was  very 
near  at  hand.  This  suggestion  hit  just  the  right 
place  with  all  of  them,  and  it  was  decided  to  have 
horse  races,  athletic  sports  and  some  kind  of  a 
banquet  too.  Christmas  day  was  to  be  the  day, 
and  the  boys  went  to  the  different  commandos,  in- 
vited all  who  had  fast  horses  to  come  and  try  their 
luck,  and  all  who  felt  that  they  could  run,  jump, 

105 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

throw  heavy  weights,  etc.  Nor  did  they  fail  to  tell 
every  one  that  all  would  have  an  opportunity  to 
take  a  smack  at  Irish  cooking.  Every  thing  went 
beautifully,  a  half-mile  track  was  prepared,  plenty 
of  food  was  cooked,  and  all  was  in  readiness  when 
Christmas  day  came. 

Boers  with  fast  horses  from  all  the  commandos 
were  there.  Athletes  representing  all  commandos ; 
generals,  commandants  and  veldtcornets  were  there; 
young  ladies  and  old  ones,  too,  from  Pretoria, 
Johannesburg,  Dundee  and  other  towns,  were  enter- 
tained by  the  Irish  boys.  All  gazed  in  admiration 
at  the  colors  that  waved  to  and  fro  with  the  breeze, 
for  they  saw  the  Vierkleur,  the  Green  Flag  with 
the  Harp,  the  Star  and  Stripes,  the  Tricolor  of 
France,  and  the  German  and  Holland  flags  that 
floated  over  the  Irish  camp. 

It  was  a  day  of  jubilee  without  a  queen,  a  day 
for  brave  and  patriotic  hearts  to  assemble,  a  day  for 
a  liberty-loving  and  God-fearing  people  to  rejoice 
and  be  merry.  It  was  not  a  day  for  a  titled  figure- 
head, not  a  day  for  dissolute  lords,  not  a  day  for 
an  unscrupulous  Colonial  Secretary,  a  weak,  High 
Commissioner  of  South  Africa,  or  the  moneyed 
rascals  of  Kimberley.  For  them  the  day  must 
smell  of  rottenness,  and  therefore  be  celebrated  in 
London.  With  one  horse  the  Irish  boys  easily  won 
hi  all  the  races,  while  the  Boers  captured  nearly  all 

106 


British  Treachery  at  Colenso 

the  prizes  in  athletics.  The  Irish,  however,  played 
an  English  trick  in  the  races  on  the  unsuspecting 
Boers.  By  the  art  of  commandeering,  they  had 
possessed  themselves  of  a  good  race  horse  in  Pre- 
toria, and  it  was  this  horse  that  so  easily  took  all 
the  prizes.  The  sports  having  come  to  an  end,  all 
went  to  camp  and  enjoyed  the  Irish  boys'  meats, 
cakes,  pies,  etc.,  but  it  was  a  painfully  dry  banquet. 
Several  cases  of  liquid  refreshments  had  been 
ordered  and  they  had  arrived  at  Modderspruit,  but 
some  thirsty  party  had  appropriated  and  removed 
all  of  them  before  the  Irish  boys  arrived  at  the 
station,  so  we  had  to  use  coffee  as  a  substitute. 

Now,  coffee  is  all  right,  and  it  is  wet,  but  that 
little  something  is  missing  in  it  that  puts  such  a 
delightful  tingle  into  the  blood.  I  felt  sorely  dis- 
appointed because  it  was  Christmas  day,  the  boys 
had  distinguished  themselves  only  a  few  days  be- 
fore, and  I  fondly  hoped  to  give  them  a  drink  or  two, 
their  guests  a  drink  or  two,  and  besides  I  wanted  a 
drink  or  two  myself.  Having  feasted,  all  joined 
and  sang  first,  God  save  Ireland,  then  the  Volkslied 
of  the  Transvaal  and  that  of  the  Orange  Free  State, 
and  then,  after  giving  three  cheers  for  the  Irish 
boys  and  Ireland,  all,  happy  and  satisfied,  dispersed 
and  returned  to  their  respective  camps  to  attend 
evening  services.  During  that  whole  afternoon,  I 
confess  that  I  felt  nervous,  for  there  was  a  large 
crowd  of  men,  women  and  children  assembled  in 

107 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  camp,  and  I  was  afraid  every  moment  that  I 
should  hear  a  big  lyddite  shell  come  whizzing 
over  from  Ladysmith.  I  was  happily  disappointed, 
however,  and  felt  much  relieved  after  the  people 
had  dispersed. 


108 


THE  FIRST  BRITISH  TRENCH  ON  SPION  KOP, 
SHOWING  THE  ENGLISH  DEAD  LYING 
THREE  DEEP. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SPION   KOP. 

From  the  middle  of  November  to  the  end  of 
December,  some  one  would  come  around  every 
week  to  ask  for  volunteers  to  rush  Ladysmitho 
The  Irish  boys  responded  to  a  man  every  time,  but 
for  some  reason  the  rush  was  never  made.  Person- 
ally I  considered  the  scheme  idiotic,  because  every 
foot  of  ground  in  and  around  Ladysmith  was 
strongly  fortified,  and  our  investing  force  was  very 
small  as  compared  to  General  White's  army  of 
12,000  men. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Battle  of  M  odder  spruit, 
I  strongly  urged  the  Boers  to  storm  the  town,  and  I 
continued  to  urge  them  every  day  for  the  ten  follow- 
ing days,  but  Generals  Erasmus  and  Schalk  Burger 
thought  that  all  such  talk  was  nonsense.  The 
English  as  yet  had  practically  no  defences  that  we 
could  not  overcome.  As  soon  as  White  got  every- 
thing in  apple-pie  order  and  had  finished  all  his 
defences  and  well  surrounded  them  with  barbed 
wire,  then  it  was  that  Generals  Erasmus  and  Schalk 
Burger  and  their  kind  were  most  anxious  to  rush 
and  take  Ladysmith.  They  really  thought  that  the 

109 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

burghers  would  then  refuse,  but  they  didn't.  So  it 
happened  that  on  January  5th  a  fellow  came  to  the 
Irish  camp,  as  they  had  often  done  before,  for 
volunteers,  and  received  the  same  answer,  u  We'll 
be  with  you."  General  Erasmus  sent  around  the 
necessary  orders  —  and  may  have  sent  one  to  White, 
too,  as  far  as  I  know, — and  all  the  men  were  to  be 
in  positions  agreed  upon  by  3  a.  m.  the  following 
morning,  January  6th.  During  the  night  General 
Erasmus  sent  a  countermanding  order  to  some  of 
the  Transvaal  Commandos,  but  forgot  to  let  the  Free 
Staters  know  that  he  had  done  so.  Much  to  my 
surprise,  we  were  ordered  to  go  with  four  field  guns 
and  take  position  on  a  small  hill  near  the  Pretoria 
Town  laager,  and  just  in  front  of  the  English  guns 
and  forts  on  the  Rooirand,  north  of  Ladysmith.  We 
were  in  our  position  at  the  proper  time,  and  there 
sat  for  hours  awaiting  further  orders  and  develop- 
ments. 

Just  at  the  first  break  of  dawn  we  heard  the 
mausers  of  the  Free  Staters  singing  hi  the  distance. 
There  was  no  pause ;  it  was  continuous,  and  I  knew 
that  the  brave  Free  Staters  were  carrying  out  their 
part  of  the  program  faithfully  and  well,  because  they 
had  brave  and  dashing  commandants  and  veldtcor- 
nets.  Pretty  soon  we  heard  the  mausers  begin  to 
sing  right  in  front  of  us,  and  then  we  knew  that 
the  brave  Pretoria  Town  boys  were  right  at  the 
English  forts,  yet  it  was  not  light  enough  for  us  to 

110 


Spion  Kop 

see  them.  Before  we  could  see  distinctly,  the  firing 
in  front  of  us  ceased,  but  with  the  Free  Staters  it 
continued  as  lively  as  ever. 

Just  before  the  sun  peeped  above  the  horizon, 
Long  Tom  on  Bulwana,  the  guns  on  Lombard 
Kop,  on  Pepworth  Hill  and  all  the  guns  about  Lady- 
smith  sent  shells  whistling  through  the  air.  Every 
one  fired  his  gun  when  he  pleased  and  where  he 
pleased,  although  the  night  before  it  was  ordered 
that  the  guns  should  be  concentrated  on  some  one 
point  in  due  time  to  be  named.  The  artillery  boys 
were  not  to  blame  in  the  least,  because  they  had 
not  received  any  instructions.  Now  we  saw  about 
150  of  the  Pretoria  Town  boys  in  a  sluit  about  100 
yards  from  the  English  forts.  They  had  tried  to 
scale  a  high  stone  wall,  and,  failing,  left  four  of 
their  number  dead  at  the  foot  of  it  and  taken  refuge 
in  a  sluit  where  we  could  now  see  them.  Only 
daring  and  fearless  men  would  rush  that  fort  and 
try  to  scale  that  twelve-foot  wall.  Our  guns  were 
now  trained  and  turned  loose  on  the  forts  just  above 
the  Pretoria  boys.  The  English  with  five  or  six 
guns  made  a  quick  response,  and  for  hours  shells 
were  flying  back  and  forth  with  such  rapidity  that 
we  were  strongly  reminded  of  our  experience  on 
Pepworth  Hill.  The  Pretoria  boys  were  in  no  dan- 
ger, as  long  as  we  were  firing,  for  the  English  had  to 
keep  themselves  well  protected.  There  was  a 
Pretoria  District  Commando,  about  700  strong,  not 

111 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

more  than  1,000  yards  to  our  left.  I  mounted  my 
horse  and  went  to  see  them,  for  help  was  necessary. 
I  found  them  lying  under  shade  trees  smoking  their 
pipes  and  drinking  coffee,  as  peacefully  and  un- 
concernedly as  if  there  was  no  firing  about  Lady- 
smith.  I  told  them  of  the  position  of  the  Pretoria 
Town  boys,  and  tried  to  convince  them  that  if 
they  would  turn  out  we  would  take  the  forts  on 
the  Rooirand.  They  simply  answered  that  General 
Erasmus  had  told  them  that  they  would  not  be 
needed,  and  I  rode  back  feeling  disgusted. 

General  Erasmus  had  promised  to  support  the 
Free  Staters  and  the  Pretoria  Town  boys,  but 
instead  of  sending  them  any  assistance,  he  went 
back  about  a  mile  out  of  danger,  and  left  all  to 
their  fate.  Some  Transvaal  Commandos  had  come 
up  from  the  Tugela  and  partly  taken  the  east  side 
of  the  Platrand.  They  fought  hard  and  bravely 
on  the  east,  while  the  Free  Staters  who  had 
captured  some  of  the  forts  on  the  west  side  were 
still  in  possession,  and  almost  engaged  in  a  hand  to 
hand  fight  with  the  English.  They  were  constantly 
expecting  re-enforcements  promised  by  Erasmus, 
but  none  ever  came.  On  our  side  we  had  simply 
an  artillery  duel,  while  on  the  east  and  west  side  of 
the  Platrand  the  burghers  continued  hotly  engaged 
in  rifle  fire  at  very  close  range  for  the  whole  day. 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  terrific  rain 
and  hail  storm  fell  upon  us.  We  were  ordered  to 

112 


Spion  Kop 

pull  down  the  guns  and  return  to  camp,  regardless 
of  the  fact  that  the  Pretoria  Town  boys  were  still 
held  in  the  sluit  by  the  English.  The  storm  did 
not  effect  those  on  the  Platrand,  for  the  firing 
continued  as  heavy  as  ever.  During  this  storm 
the  Pretoria  boys  made  a  run  for  life  and  liberty, 
and  although  the  English  gave  them  a  hot  fire,  all 
came  out  safely.  It  was  not  till  late  at  night  that 
the  Free  Staters  and  Transvaalers  gave  up  all  hope 
on  the  Platrand  and  returned  to  their  camps. 
Every  one  spent  the  next  day  in  damning  Erasmus, 
yet  he  was  not  dismissed,  nor  laid  aside  for  reflec- 
tion, because  he  was  very  wealthy,  and  belonged 
to  one  of  the  best  families  in  the  Transvaal.  We 
had  a  heavy  loss  on  that  day,  fifty  being  killed  and 
135  wounded.  Of  course  the  Free  Staters  were 
heavy  losers.  The  English  made  a  poor  defence, 
and  I  feel  sure  that  if  Erasmus  had  sent  his 
promised  re-enforcements,  the  Platrand  would  have 
been  taken,  and  of  course  that  would  have  caused 
the  immediate  surrender  of  Ladysmith. 

General  White  reported  that  he  sent  back  eighty 
dead  to  the  Boer  lines.  Another  officer  wrote  that 
he  counted  135  dead  on  the  field.  By  just  such 
official  lying  as  this  the  British  forces  succeeded 
hi  killing  off  the  entire  Boer  forces  more  than  four 
times  during  the  war,  yet  almost  the  entire  Boer 
force  was  still  alive  at  the  end  of  the  war.  The 
military  colleges  of  England  must  be  special  schools 

113 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

for  turning  out  trained  liars  to  command  in  the 
British  army,  otherwise  the  conduct  of  the  British 
officer  in  his  report  of  the  battles,  etc.,  of  the  Boer 
war  is  beyond  my  understanding.  I  have  spoken 
very  harshly  of  Erasmus,  Meyer  and  Burger,  but 
they  eminently  deserve  all  I  have  said.  The  bravest 
and  the  most  daring  of  the  Boer  commanders  will 
always  find  the  rank  and  file  ready  to  follow  him, 
but  not  to  lead  him.  This  statement  will  apply 
and  prove  equally  true  in  all  armies  except  the 
British,  and  it  will  not  apply  there,  for  the  reason 
that  there  is  such  a  wide  chasm  between  the  British 
officer  and  soldier,  that  the  latter  has  neither  respect 
for  the  former  as  an  officer,  nor  confidence  in  him  as 
such;  consequently  the  British  officer  must  drive 
the  soldier  into  the  fighting  line.  When  once  the 
British  soldier  has  respect  and  confidence  in  his 
officer,  he  will  follow  him,  without  a  murmur,  into 
the  very  jaws  of  death.  But  I  must  here  state  one 
condition,  and  that  is,  that  the  British  soldier  who 
is  ever  ready  to  follow  his  respected  officer  must  be 
either  an  Irishman  or  a  Scotchman,  for  the  Johnny 
proper,  being  degenerate,  and  no  longer  a  warrior, 
does  not  believe  in  risking  life  for  the  off-chance  of 
taking  life. 

Now  I  return  to  Buller  and  his  army,  and  I  see 
them  making  grand  preparations  to  do  something. 
I  thought  to  myself  that  he  had  at  last  discovered 
the  key,  Langwani  Hill,  that  alone  would  open  the 

114 


Spion  Kop 

gates  of  the  Boer  lines,  and  lead  him  to  Lady  smith, 
where  many  thousand  starving  people  were  praying 
for  his  coming.  I  was  mistaken,  for  soon  he  and 
his  whole  army  were  seen  coming  around  the  bend 
of  the  Tugela  towards  Spion  Kop.  It  was  now  evi- 
dent to  all  that  a  big  fight  must  take  place  to  the 
west  of  Ladysmith,  and  in  plain  view  of  both  be- 
sieger and  besieged. 

He  pitched  his  camp  behind  what  is  known  to 
the  Boers  as  the  Bosch-rand,  a  high,  wooded  moun- 
tain ridge  that  commanded  all  the  hills  on  our  side 
of  the  river.  This  river  ran  up  to  the  very  foot  of 
the  Bosch-rand,  and  then  making  a  pretty  sharp 
curve,  wound  its  way  back  to  the  foot  of  the  hills 
on  our  side.  The  river  valley  was  perfectly  flat 
and  about  4,000  yards  wide,  and  as  the  river  wound 
its  way  through  it,  first  touching  the  hills  on  one 
side  and  then  on  the  other,  it  made  a  succession  of 
IPs.  This  was  an  ugly  river,  with  steep,  muddy 
banks,  and  as  I  looked  at  it  and  its  beautiful  valley, 
bounded  by  high  hills,  it  reminded  me  of  a  great 
amphitheatre  in  which  a  few  scattered  Boers  were 
to  occupy  the  top  seats,  and  a  big  English  army 
the  ring.  Both  the  English  and  Boers  were  to  be 
actors,  and  the  gods  above  were  alone  to  witness 
and  judge  one  of  the  greatest,  most  exciting  and 
destructive  contests-at-arms  of  modern  times,  in 
which  the  Boers  were  destined  to  wear  the  crown 
of  victory. 

115 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Buller's  first  attempt  was  to  turn  Botha's  right, 
but  after  five  days  hard  fighting  he  withdrew  and 
fixed  his  attention  on  Spion  Kop.  General  Botha  had 
left  only  a  guard  of  fifteen  men  on  this  kop,  and 
in  the  very  early  morning  of  January  24th,  a  large 
force  of  Buller's  men  surprised  them  and  drove  them 
off.  General  Buller  now  had  possession  of  the  kop, 
and  there  was  no  valid  reason  why  he  and  his  big 
army  should  not  march  into  Ladysmith  with  but 
little  trouble  or  delay.  But  they  didn't,  and  I 
will  tell  why  they  didn't. 

General  Buller  had  failed  to  get  permission  of  a 
small  band  of  Boer  patriots  who  were  near  at  hand. 
About  ninety  men  of  the  Carolina  Commando 
crawled  up  the  kop,  and,  having  reached  the  crest, 
immediately  opened  fire  on  the  British  force.  Thus 
began  the  great  battle,  the  bloody  and  disastrous 
Battle  of  Spion  Kop.  The  ninety  Boers  were  soon 
re-enforced  by  small  detachments  following  each 
other  up  the  kop  until  the  total  mumber  reached 
about  250  men.  The  English  held  the  kop, 
occupied  the  defences,  and  besides  had  at  least 
fifteen  men  to  every  Boer. 

Counting  the  Boers  on  the  right  and  left  sides  of 
the  kop  who  also  took  part  in  the  fight,  the  total 
number  of  them  engaged  was  about  600,  but  the 
actual  number  on  the  kop,  who  alone  fought  the 
big  English  force,  was  about  250  men.  The  Boers 
and  the  English  were  within  easy  point-blank  range 

116 


Spion  Kop 

of  each  other,  and  at  some  points  no  more  than  fifty 
yards  separated  them.  Here  was  the  time,  the 
place  arid  the  opportunity  for  the  British  to  display 
that  bold  courage,  that  dash  and  fighting  quality 
of  which  they  have  been  boasting  for  centuries,  for, 
with  their  overwhelming  numbers,  they  would  have 
easily  swept  that  little  handful  of  Boers  off  the 
kop.  But  they  positively  declined  to  take  advan- 
tage of  such  conditions  to  display  British  pluck  and 
courage,  and,  in  the  end,  were  themselves  swept  off. 
In  their  wars  with  the  blacks,  it  had  been  their  rule 
to  hoist  the  Union  Jack,  boldly  advance  as  at 
Khartoum,  and  when  they  discovered  a  horde  of  un- 
armed and  defenceless  negroes,  make  a  mad  rush, 
fall  upon  them  and  shoot  them  down;  then  apply 
the  cold  steel,  and  when  they  have  murdered  the 
last  one  and  see  him  lying  at  their  feet,  with  blood 
gurgling  from  his  mouth,  give  three  cheers  for  the 
Union  Jack,  and  everyone  at  once  apply  for  a  Vic- 
toria Cross. 

But  on  Spion  Kop  it  was  different,  for  no  Union 
Jack  was  hoisted,  no  Union  Jack  brought  to  the 
battlefield,  no  rush  was  made,  because  a  Boer  was 
there,  with  a  mauser  in  his  hand  —  and  that  was 
a  horse  of  another  color.  —  So  the  British  halted 
and  trembled,  and  then  threw  up  the  sponge  and 
retreated  as  fast  as  their  legs  would  take  them,  each 
hoping  that  he  might  escape  the  fatal  bullet  and 
receive  his  well  deserved  Victoria  Cross.  I  may 

117 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

here  add  that  when  you  find  any  one  so  decorated 
with  the  Victoria  Cross,  you  may  generally  put 
hun  down  as  a  worthless  son  of  a  lord,  or  as  a  puny 
specimen  of  a  puny,  dissolute,  diseased  nobility,  or 
the  son  of  some  moneyed,  unscrupulous  politician 
to  whom  the  English  Government  must  bow  in 
obeisance.  One  in  a  thousand  who  has  been  decora- 
ted may  deserve  it,  but  I  even  have  my  doubts 
about  that.  Nearly  all  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
British  army  who  have  been  given  the  Victoria 
Cross  you  will  find  in  an  English  company's  cigar- 
ette packages,  and  that  is  just  where  they  belong. 
I  shall  not  try  to  tell  all  that  happened  about 
Spion  Kop,  because  every  reader  would  cry  out,  "the 
same  old  story."  I  must  tell  this,  however;  Buller's 
fifty  or  more  cannon  fairly  tore  the  top  off  all  our 
hills  on  both  sides  of  Spion  Kop,  ploughed  them 
up,  pulverized  them,  and  put  them  in  perfect  con- 
dition for  sowing  oats  and  planting  mealies,  but  up 
to  January  24th  had  killed  only  two  Boers,  an 
old  man  and  his  son,  although  more  than  3000 
lyddite  shells  had  been  fired.  Joe  Chamberlain  and 
his  pals  made  plenty  of  money  that  week,  for  tons 
of  lyddite  were  consumed.  The  whole  atmosphere 
was  fairly  laden  with  the  yellow,  sulphurous-look- 
ing lyddite  fumes,  and  the  Boers  who  finally 
emerged  from  their  trenches  looked  like  so  many 
Chinamen.  They  were  yellow  about  the  eyes, 
nose,  mouth  and  neck,  and  their  clothes  were  yellow 

118 


Spion  Kop 

too;  but  when  they  washed  their  faces  they  were 
Boers  again,  and  very  lively  ones  at  that.  The 
effect,  and  the  only  affect  of  Mr.  Joe  Chamber- 
lain's lyddite  fumes  was  to  give  the  Carolina  boys 
strength  and  courage  enough  to  paralyze  the 
Tommies  as  fast  as  they  could  show  themselves  on 
Spion  Kop.  This  was  a  great  blow  to  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  because  it  meant  a  great  future  loss 
to  him  financially,  for  it  disclosed  the  fact  that 
lyddite  in  itself  was  very  harmless;  indeed,  if  any 
of  Mr.  Chamberlain's  lyddite  should,  by  accident, 
strike  a  Boer  squarely  in  the  chest,  it  is  my  honest 
opinion  that  that  Boer  would  be  put  out  of  action; 
but,  as  is  usually  the  case,  if  Mr.  Chamberlain's 
lyddite  shell  should  happen  to  miss  the  Boer  by 
an  inch  or  two,  why,  that  Boer  would  be  liable  to 
drop  more  Tommies  before  that  fight  was  over. 

Louis  Botha  showed  himself  in  great  form,  for 
he  so  placed  his  cannon  and  maxims  that  they 
could  sweep  the  side  hills  and  the  Tugela  Valley 
below  Spion  Kop,  and,  like  a  new  broom,  they 
made  a  clean  sweep  of  everything.  How  that  fight 
did  rage  during  that  whole  day !  It  was  heart- 
rending to  stand  and  watch  the  little  band  of 
heroic  Boers  face  fifteen  bullets  for  every  one  they 
could  send;  but  bravely  and  unflinchingly  they 
held  their  ground  and  won  the  admiration  of  the 
world.  Spion  Kop  and  the  adjacent  hills  were  in 
a  shiver,  convulsion  after  convulsion  followed,  as 

119 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

lyddite   shell    after   lyddite    shell  penetrated  and 
tore  up  the  earth. 

I  must  here  mention  that  at  one  time  during  the 
struggle  on  the  kop,  the  English  felt  that  it  was 
too  hot  for  them,  and  naturally  they  hoisted  three  or 
four  white  flags.  The  Boers  stopped  firing  at  once, 
and  four  or  five  of  them  advanced  to  accept  the 
surrender.  Before  reaching  the  defences,  Colonel 
Thorny  croft  with  re-enforcements  arrived  on  the 
scene,  hauled  down  the  white  flags  and  ordered  the 
firing  to  recommence.  The  four  or  five  Boers  would 
have  been  shot  down,  had  not  the  twenty-three 
English,  who  had  already  laid  down  their  arms, 
accompanied  them  as  they  ran  back  to  their  lines. 
Fighting  was  now  resumed  and  continued  as  if 
nothing  had  happened,  until  it  grew  too  hot  for  the 
English  again,  and  once  more  the  white  flags  were 
hoisted.  The  Boers  continued  in  their  good  work, 
regardless  of  the  flags,  and,  as  a  result,  the 
English  are  howling  to  this  day  about  the  Boers 
firing  upon  the  white  flags.  If  they  hadn't  fired 
upon  them  every  one  would  have  deserved  being 
shot  himself.  Time  and  time  again  during  the 
war,  the  English  would  hoist  the  white  flag  for  no 
other  reason  than  to  get  the  Boers  to  cease  firing 
until  they  could  get  their  own  men  in  proper  posi- 
tion, when  they  would  declare  that  no  one  was 
authorized  to  hoist  the  white  flag,  and  that  the 
fighting  must  continue.  The  result  was  that  after 

120 


Spion  Kop 

a  time  the  Boer  would  not  recognize  the  white 
flag,  for  he  could  no  longer  trust  the  English,  and 
to  surrender,  the  latter  had  to  throw  down  their 
rifles,  hold  up  their  hands  and  advance  towards 
the  Boers.  Although  the  English  denounced  this 
way  of  having  to  surrender  as  low,  suspicious  and 
cowardly,  yet  thousands  upon  thousands  of  them 
went  through  the  formula  before  the  war  came  to 
an  end.  It  never  occurred  to  them  that  the  Boers 
were  forced  to  adopt  that  precaution  as  a  safe- 
guard against  treachery  I 

During  the  six  days'  fighting  the  Boers  lost  fifty 
killed  and  about  120  wounded.  I  don't  know  the 
British  loss,  but  I  hope  that  at  some  time  during 
the  twentieth  century,  the  truth  will  leak  out,  and 
the  number  of  the  British  killed  and  wounded  be- 
come known.  The  top  of  the  kop  was  covered 
with  them ;  the  sides  of  the  kop  and  the  Tugela 
Valley  were  also  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
wounded,  and  the  Boers  were  not  curious  enough 
to  take  the  trouble  to  count  them.  The  Boers  re- 
quested the  English  to  come  and  bury  their  dead, 
and  the  English,  in  reply,  asked  the  Boers  to  bury 
them,  and  send  them  the  bill.  The  gods  might  be 
able  to  make  a  comment  to  fit  that  bill,  but  earthly 
mortals  would  do  well  to  hold  their  tongues.  So 
I  will  pass  on  to  General  White  and  his  inactivity. 


121 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WHITE'S  INCAPACITY. 

Our  investment  circle  was  thirty-six  miles  in 
length,  and  at  the  time  the  Battle  of  Colenso  was 
fought,  was  held  by  not  more  than  4,000  men. 
From  Ladysmith  to  Colenso  is  about  fifteen  miles 
by  the  main  road.  By  Colenso  was  General  Buller 
with  his  army  35,000  strong.  In  Ladysmith  was 
General  White  with  his  army  12,000  strong.  Be- 
tween these  two  armies  was  General  Botha  with 
his  army  less  than  6,000  strong,  including  the  in- 
vestment forces  south  of  Ladysmith.  General 
Botha  had,  all  told,  ten  guns.  The  two  British 
forces  had  150  guns.  If,  when  Buller  attacked  at 
Colenso,  December  15th,  White  had  moved  out 
with  his  whole  forces  to  the  south  and  attacked  at 
the  same  time,  the  Boers  would  have  been 
swamped  hi  a  few  hours,  and  most  of  them  would 
have  been  captured,  for  there  was  no  way  out  of 
it  except  by  Ladysmith,  and,  besides,  they  would 
have  lost  all  their  guns.  On  January  24th,  the 
same  conditions  prevailed,  except  that  there  were 
no  mountains  between  Ladysmith  and  Spion  Kop, 
and  the  intervening  distance  was  about  eighteen 

122 


White's  Incapacity 

miles.  Spion  Kop  is  plainly  visible  from  all  parts 
around  Ladysmith.  The  Boer  force  on  the  west 
side  of  Ladysmith  was  less  than  1,000  strong. 
Had  General  White  moved  out  with  his  entire 
force  and  fifty  guns,  he  could  have  marched  to 
Spion  Kop  almost  without  interruption.  What 
did  he  do  on  both  occasions  when  he  should  have 
been  up  and  doing,  if  he  wished  to  join  Buller,  see 
Ladysmith  relieved,  and  the  Boer  forces  captured 
and  destroyed?  Why,  he  and  his  12,000  men 
simply  lay  in  their  holes  and  silently  prayed  for 
Buller's  success.  When  all  the  conditions  are 
considered,  it  must  be  plain  to  the  most  simple 
minded  that  General  White  deserved  to  be  for- 
ever buried  in  utterv$isgrace,  but,  instead,  he  was 
congratulated,  promoted, -and  dined  by  his  queen 
for  his  gallantry^an^  success  in  nearly  starving  to 
death  some  15,000  soldiers,  women  and  children 
in  Ladysmith.  On  both  of  these  memorable  days 
the  Boers  around  Ladysmith  were  all  on  needles 
and  pins,  for  they  fully  expected  White  and  his 
army  to  move  out,  and  they  knew  that  if  he  did  it 
would  be  impossible  for  them  to  prevent  a  union 
with  Buller,  and  the  consequent  destruction  of 
the  Boer  forces  in  Natal. 

While  General  Botha  was  fighting  the  Battles 
of  Colenso  and  Spion  Kop,  Commandant-General 
Joubert  remained  at  his  headquarters  by  Lady- 
smith,  and  on  the  first  of  these  occasions  I  remem- 

123 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

her  hearing  him  say:  "  No,  General  White  will  not 
make  any  attempt  to  unite  with  General  Buller, 
because  he  has  been  defeated  so  often,  that  both 
he  and  his  men  are  thoroughly  cowed  and  will  be 
satisfied  to  remain  concealed,  and  fervently  ho}  e 
for  Buller's  success."  As  it  turned  out,  he  provtd 
to  be  perfectly  correct  in  his  surmises. 

About  ten  days  after  Spion  Kop,  February  5th, 
another  attempt  was  made  to  break  through  our 
lines  at  Vaal  Krantz,  by  about  3,500  men  and  sev- 
eral batteries.  To  oppose  these  was  General 
Viljoen  with  less  than  100  men.  An  exciting, 
hot  fight  ensued,  and,  wonderful  to  say,  the 
English  forces  retired,  recrossed  the  river,  and 
made  no  further  attempt  te^&ccfomplish  anything 
in  the  vicinity  of  Spion  TtJj^OIIMring  the  fight 
General  Viljoen  with  two^o^tHf^e^men  took  a 
desperate  chance  to  save  a  pom-pom  from  capture. 
Under  a  terrific  rifle  fire,  they  hauled  the  pom-pom 
across  a  long  flat,  and  then  turned  it  on  the  Eng- 
lish with  great  effect.  Neither  he,  nor  his  men,  nor 
any  of  the  horses  were  touched,  yet  all  passed 
through  a  perfect  shower  of  bullets.  In  this  fight 
at  Vaal  Krantz,  the  Irish  Brigade  lost  three  of  its 
bravest,  noblest  and  most  patriotic  men:  Pat  Fahey, 
Mat  Brennen  and  Jim  Lasso.  They  fell  as  the 
most  advanced  men,  and  they  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered most  affectionately  by  the  Irish  boys. 

Now  I  come  to  the  final  struggle  at  Ladysmith, 

124 


GENERAL  BEN  VILJOEN 


White's  Incapacity 

when  that  awful  hole  was  relieved,  and  the  Boer 
forces  retreated  to  the  Biggarsberg  Mountains, 
eighteen  miles  back  on  the  road  to  Dundee. 

To  meet  Buller,  General  Botha  withdrew  all  his 
forces  from  Spion  Kop  and  vicinity,  and  put  them 
in  their  old  positions  in  front  of  Colenso.  As  to 
whether  General  Buller  really  discovered  that 
Langwani  Hill  was  the  key  to  our  positions,  or 
tumbled  on  to  it  by  accident,  I  do  not  know,  but, 
certain  it  was,  that  he  was  intent  on  getting  posses- 
sion of  this  hill,  by  making  a  flank  attack  on  our 
extreme  left.  Langwani  Hill  was  on  Buller's  side 
of  the  river,  and  once  our  left  was  turned,  we  could 
no  longer  hold  it.  It  was  not  till  February  18th  that 
General  Buller  brought  fifteen  or  sixteen  batteries 
to  play  upon  the  Boer  positions.  It  would  prove 
tedious  to  describe  the  ten  days  of  terrible  fighting 
that  preceded  the  relief  of  Ladysmith;  so  I  will 
simply  speak  of  it  in  a  general  way. 

Buller  finally  succeeded  in  turning  the  Boers' 
left,  and  so  Langwani  Hill  was  abandoned,  but  not 
until  the  English  had  suffered  severely.  At  Pieters 
Hill,  Groblers  Kloof,  and  the  neighboring  hills  where 
the  Boers  were  well  placed  by  General  Botha,  the 
hardest  fighting  took  place.  In  the  struggle  to 
force  the  Boers  from  their  positions,  the  English 
were  driven  back  repeatedly  to  the  river,  although 
then-  numbers  were  about  twenty-five  to  one  against 
ours.  Their  dead  and  wounded  ran  well  into  the 

125 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

hundreds  at  each  attempt,  and  on  two  or  three 
occasions  were  allowed  to  remain  as  they  had  fallen 
on  the  open  veld,  during  the  whole  night,  to  suffer 
and  die.  The  English  have  little  or  no  regard 
for  their  dead  and  wounded,  as  I  will  in  time  to 
come  show.  In  all  these  advances  the  English 
shells  were  constantly  bursting  among  their  own 
men  and  were  directly  responsible  for  many  of  their 
own  dead  and  wounded.  Three  Irish  regiments 
were  always  placed  in  front,  and  these  were  support- 
ed by  English  regiments  who  kept  safely  in  the 
background.  As  on  previous  occasions,  some  Irish 
regiments  had  surrendered  after  making  a  slight 
resistance.  I  believe,  and  hundreds  of  others 
believe,  that  the  English  deliberately  and  in- 
tentionally made  the  "mistake"  of  firing  their  shells 
into  the  Irish  regiments,  to  drive  them  on  and  force 
them  to  take  the  entrenched  positions  from  the 
Boers.  This  was  not  the  first  tune,  nor  was  it  the 
last  tune  that  they  made  a  mistake  of  this  kind,  and 
in  every  case  it  was  the  Irish  who  were  chosen  to 
suffer.  Twice  during  these  first  five  days  of  fight- 
ing,the  good  General  Botha  had  granted  an  armistice 
to  Buller  to  be  used  in  caring  for  his  dead  and 
wounded,  but  these  were  wofully  neglected  and 
advantage  taken  to  make  better  dispositions  of 
his  troops. 

It  is  just  as  much  of  a  latter-day  Englishman's 
nature  to  be  treacherous  as  it  is  for  an  American 

126 


White's  Incapacity 

Indian  to  be  suspicious.  Every  repulse  was  fol- 
lowed on  the  next  day  by  another  advance.  The 
heavy  lyddite  shells  kept  continually  pounding  the 
hills,  tearing  off  their  very  tops  and  filling  the  air 
with  smoke  and  stones;  yet  the  brave  Boers  remained 
unmoved  in  their  positions,  and  kept  up  their  dead- 
ly fire  on  the  advancing  Irish  regiments.  Each 
day's  work  was  practically  a  repetition  of  the  pre- 
ceding one,  until  the  27th  of  February,  when 
there  was  a  great  change.  The  Boers  had  now 
lain  in  the  mud  and  water  that  half  filled  their 
trenches  and,  without  relief  and  without  food, 
fought  incessantly  for  ten  days  till,  being  weary  and 
worn  and  completely  exhausted,  they  reluctantly 
left  their  positions  and  began  their  retreat. 

The  famous  Krugersdorp  Commando  under  Kemp 
held  Pieter's  Hill  to  the  very  last  moment,  and  no 
one  about  Lady  smith,  be  he  Boer  or  English,  will 
ever  forget  the  wonderful  stand  made  by  those  400 
patriots  against  Buller's  whole  army  and  100  guns. 
It  is  perfectly  certain  that  every  man  of  them 
accounted  for  at  least  one  Tommie  before  the  final 
retreat. 

On  the  28th,  Ladysmith  was  relieved,  and  the 
Boers  went  back  to  the  Biggarsberg  Mountains. 
General  White  in  Ladysmith  could  plainly  see  a 
line  of  wagons  fifteen  miles  long,  yet  he  made 
no  move  to  delay  or  capture  them.  Worn  out  and 
exhausted  as  the  Boers  really  were,  I  do  not  believe 

127 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

that  Buller  would  have  been  successful  in  relieving 
Ladysmith  had  they  not  received  the  report  of 
General  Cronje's  surrender  at  Paardeberg  on  the 
27th.  This  news  was  deeply  felt,  and  it  so 
thoroughly  discouraged  the  Boers  that  they  lost 
heart  and  left  positions  without  orders,  which 
they  could  have  easily  continued  to  hold.  To  relieve 
General  White  and  his  12,000  skeletons,  General 
Buller  had  exploded  hundreds  of  tons  of  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain's lyddite  and  lost  as  many  men  as  he  suc- 
ceeded in  relieving.  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  a  big 
winner,  the  English  heavy  losers,  and  the  Tugela 
Valley  is  now  renowned  as  an  Irish  graveyard.  A 
few  more  wars  like  the  South  African  would  settle 
all  of  Ireland's  many  troubles,  because  the  Irish 
would  all  be  laid  under  the  sod.  How  strange  it  is 
that  a  people  who  have  fought  against  England's 
tyranny  for  centuries  to  secure  their  freedom,  and 
are  still  fighting  for  the  same  end,  will  voluntarily 
join  with  their  old  and  detested  oppressor  to  deprive 
another  people  of  their  liberty,  knowing,  too,  as 
they  must,  that  in  every  instance  they  weaken  them- 
selves and  strengthen  their  old  enemy. 

Yet,  this  is  exactly  what  the  Irish  have  done, 
and  I  have  no  sympathy  for  those  who  are  to-day 
sleeping  in  the  Tugela  Valley  as  a  result  of  their 
own  voluntary  acts. 

During  a  terrific  rain  storm  on  the  night  of  the 
27th,  and  in  the  very  eyes  of  Buller's  army  on 

128 


White's  Incapacity 

one  side  and  White's  on  the  other,  our  Irish  boys 
were  the  chief  instruments  in  pulling  down 
Long  Tom  from  the  top  of  Bulwana  Kop.  It 
was  fearful  and  exasperating  work,  and  it  was 
not  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  our  large 
gun  safely  landed  at  the  foot  of  the  kop  and 
started  on  its  way  to  Elandslaagte.  General  Botha 
was  near  at  hand  with  some  300  or  400  men,  but 
he  could  have  offered  little  or  no  resistance  had 
an  attempt  been  made  to  capture  the  gun. 

Our  hundreds  of  wagons,  with  all  our  cannon  and 
maxims,  were  hauled  through  heavy  mud  and  across 
an  open  flat  for  twenty  miles,  and  safely  landed  in 
the  Biggarsberg  Mountains,  and  that,  too,  in  the 
very  presence  and  before  the  eyes  of  an  English 
army  of  45,000  trained  officers  and  men,  who  never 
moved  an  inch  in  our  direction. 

Quite  a  cavalry  force  came  out  of  Ladysmith,  but 
when  a  few  of  the  Irish  boys  opened  fire  on  them, 
they  all  turned  and  fled  back  to  town.  The  Eng- 
lish should  have  captured  all  our  wagons  and  can- 
non, and  would  have  done  it,  too,  had  they  known 
anything  about  their  business.  Buller  and  White 
together  could  have  easily  trained  150  cannon  on 
us  and  forced  us  to  abandon  everything,  but  they 
seemed  satisfied  to  stop  just  where  they  were,  and, 
no  doubt,  congratulated  themselves  that  the  Boers 
had  escaped  without  doing  them  further  damage. 
Some  time  before  the  relief  of  Ladysmith,  the  Free 

129 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

State  Commandos  had  left  and  gone  to  meet  Lord 
Roberts,  who  was  advancing  towards  Bloemfontein; 
so  it  was  only  the  Transvaal  Commandos  who  took 
up  positions  in  the  Biggarsberg  Mountain  passes. 
As  the  English  had  a  big  force  on  the  Tugela  River, 
about  eighteen  miles  in  front  of  Helpmakaar,  the 
Irish  Brigade  was  ordered  to  go  to  Helpmakaar  and 
hold  them  back.  Should  the  English  get  hold  of 
this  place,  our  positions  in  the  Biggarsberg  would 
no  longer  be  tenable,  for  the  line  of  retreat  to  Laing's 
Nek  would  then  be  seriously  threatened.  We  found 
the  Piet  Retief  Commando  there,  but  about  four 
miles  behind  the  position  it  should  have  occupied. 
We  learned,  on  questioning  the  officers,  that  it  was 
too  dangerous  a  place  for  Piet  Retief  men,  and  they 
would  not  risk  a  stand  there.  We  then  went  and 
had  a  look  for  ourselves,  and  we  decided  that  200 
men  in  the  position  could  easily  prove  a  match  for 
any  5000  Englishmen  who  might  come,  so  we  were 
satisfied  to  try  our  luck.  It  was  the  strongest 
position  for  defence  that  I  had  yet  seen,  for  it  was 
impossible  to  flank  it;  and  to  take  it,  the  attacking 
force  had  to  come  along  one  road,  and  the  distance 
from  the  foot  of  this  steep  mountain  to  the  top  was 
at  least  two  miles.  The  English  knew  that  position 
and  that  mountain,  and  never  made  any  effort  to 
take  it  during  our  month's  residence  there. 

In  the  month  of  April,  I  received  word  from 
Pretoria  that  about  1,000  Irish  and  Irish-Americans 

130 


White's  Incapacity 

had  arrived  at  Delagoa  Bay,  on  their  way  to 
join  my  brigade.  I  was  in  great  glee  on  receiving 
this  long  expected  news,  and  lost  no  time  in 
going  to  Pretoria,  not  only  to  meet  them,  but  to 
prepare  for  them  a  red  hot  time  with  the  English. 
I  arranged  with  the  President  and  Executive  Coun- 
cil, to  recall  the  brigade  from  Helpniakaar,  bring  it 
to  Elandsfontein,  where  I  would  join  it  with  some- 
thing like  a  thousand  Irish- Americans,  and  all  pro- 
ceed to  Fourteen  Streams,  where  I  knew  there 
would  be  some  interesting  fighting.  Having  done 
this,  I  at  once  took  the  train  to  Middleburg  where  I 
would  meet  the  good  boys  from  free  America.  I  was 
thoroughly  convinced  that  the  Irish  and  Irish- 
Americans  were  intent  on  doing  something  good  for 
down-trodden  Ireland  by  proving  that  England's 
difficulty  was  Ireland's  opportunity.  My  hopes 
were  high,  and  all  sort  of  plans  and  schemes  were 
passing  through  my  mind  when  the  steam  whistle 
announced  that  I  was  in  Middleburg.  Here  I  found 
that  the  long  expected  boys  would  arrive  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  The  whole  town  learned  of  their 
coming,  and  all  turned  out  to  greet  them.  Finally 
came  what  I  at  first  supposed  to  be  the  advance  guard, 
the  American  Ambulance  Corps  of  fifty-eight  men 
from  Chicago  and  Massachusetts.  They  were  warm- 
ly received  with  the  shouts  and  hurrahs  of  the  as- 
sembled multitude.  When  I  found  tune  to  breathe 

131 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

I  asked  when  the  fighters  would  arrive.  The 
answer  was  "We  are  the  fighters !  No  more  coming 
that  we  know  off."  Now  I  felt  so  thoroughly  dis- 
appointed that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  drop  dead  on 
the  spot,  but  was  saved  from  such  a  terrible  ordeal 
by  the  idea  suddenly  occurring  to  me  that  possibly 
others  would  soon  follow.  I  long  lived  in  hope, 
but  only  to  be  disappointed  in  the  end,  for  no  more 
ever  came. 

Later  on  I  will  give  the  reasons,  for  I  have  since 
learned  just  what  the  trouble  was.  I  was  genuine- 
ly glad  to  see  the  Irish  boys,  and  from  them  learned 
that  it  was  through  the  efforts  of  my  trusted  old 
Arizona  friend,  Colonel  John  F.  Finerty,  of  Chicago, 
and  my  new  and  most  highly  esteemed  friend, 
Patrick  J.  Judge,  of  Holyoke,  Mass.,  that  sufficient 
money  was  raised  by  private  subscriptions  to  equip 
thoroughly  the  Ambulance  Corps  of  fifty-eight  men 
and  land  them  in  the  Transvaal. 

It  was  not  the  fault  of  those  two  patriotic  Irish- 
men that  100,000  Irish  and  Irish- Americans  were 
not  sent  to  South  Africa  to  assist  that  little  hand- 
ful of  Boer  patriots  in  their  struggle  with  the 
mighty  British  Empire  for  liberty  and  independ- 
ence. In  due  time  I  will  put  the  fault  just  where 
it  belongs.  The  Boers  had  enough  ambulance  corps, 
so  the  Chicago  and  Massachusetts  boys  removed 
their  red  cross  chevrons  and,  after  being  well 

132 


White's  Incapacity 

equipped  as  fighting  men,  we  all  went  to  Johan- 
nesberg  to  join  the  boys  of  the  old  brigade  who 
had  just  arrived  from  Helpmakaar.  Having  met, 
what  a  rollicking,  joyful  good  time  all  these  jolly 
Irish  boys  had  1 


183 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   FIGHTING   IN   THE   FBEE   STATE. 

Our  orders  for  Fourteen  Streams  were  coun- 
termanded and  we  were  instructed  to  proceed  to 
Brandfort  in  the  Free  State.  We  took  the  train 
without  delay  and  went  on  our  way  rejoicing.  On 
reaching  Smaldeel,  a  small  station  thirty  miles  from 
Brandfort,  we  were  ordered  to  stop  and  wait  for 
instructions;  so  we  pitched  our  camp  and  put  every- 
thing in  readiness  for  a  hot  time,  for  we  learned 
that  Lord  Roberts  and  his  army  of  90,000  men 
were  advancing  from  Bloemfontein.  Before  our 
new  arrivals  receive  their  baptismal  fire  I  will  re- 
late what  had  taken  place  in  the  Free  State  while 
we  were  engaged  at  Ladysmith. 

During  the  month  of  November  while  we  were 
hi  daily  skirmishes  with  the  English,  who  were  try- 
ing to  find  a  way  of  escape,  there  was  heavy  fight- 
ing south  of  Kimberley.  Unfortunately  we  had 
there  one  thoroughly  incompetent  commander,  Gen- 
eral Prinsloo,  of  the  Free  State.  General  Prinsloo 
had  most  excellent  commandants  and  veldcornets, 
any  one  of  whom  would  have  made  every  fight 
a  victory  in  those  parts.  General  de  la  Rey  was 

134 


GENERAL  LORD  ROBERTS,  F.  M. 

Notorious   for  destroying  women  and  children  and  for 
helplessness  when  confronted  with  an  armed  foe. 


The  Fighting  in  the  Free  State 

with  Prinsloo,  but  the  latter  had  higher  rank,  much 
to  our  regret.  General  de  la  Rey  is  a  remark- 
able man  and  the  Napoleon  of  the  South  African 
War.  In  due  tune  I  will  give  a  short  account 
of  this  great  and  good  man  and  the  deeds  he  accom- 
plished. 

Generals  Prinsloo  and  de  la  Rey,  with  their  com- 
bined force  of  some  2,000  men  and,  I  think,  two 
guns  and  two  maxim  Nordenfelts,  were  attacked 
on  November  23rd  by  Lord  Methuen  with  a  force 
of  10,000  to  12,000  men  and  two  or  three  batteries, 
together  with  several  maxims.  Of  course  Lord 
Methuen  had  an  overwhelming  force  as  compared 
to  that  of  the  Boers,  yet,  had  Prinsloo  acted  with 
General  de  la  Rey,  the  British  would  have  suf- 
fered a  severe  defeat. 

Prinsloo  left  his  position  just  at  the  moment  of 
victory,  and,  by  so  doing,  came  near  getting  General 
de  la  Rey  and  his  men  captured.  They  had 
actually  to  fight  their  way  out.  The  republican 
forces  fell  back  to  Rooilaagte  in  the  direction  of 
Kimberley.  Here  the  burghers  to  some  extent  for- 
tified themselves,  and  awaited  the  arrival  of 
Methuen.  He,  with  his  re-enforced  army  appeared 
and  opened  up  their  batteries  on  the  Boer  positions 
hi  the  early  morn  of  November  25th.  A  very 
hard  and  bloody  battle  was  fought  here,  and  it  was 
Prinsloo  again  who  gave  way  at  the  wrong  moment 
and  allowed  Methuen  to  credit  himself  with 

135 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

another  victory.  Prinsloo  was  always  bent  on  giv- 
ing way  just  at  the  wrong  time,  much  to  the 
disappointment  and  disgust  of  General  de  la  Rey, 
and  this,  too,  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  General  de 
la  Rey  always  took  the  brunt  and  did  the  hardest 
fighting.  The  world  now  has  read  Methuen's 
reports  of  these  fights  and  the  Boer  reports  too,  so 
it  is  only  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  the  former's 
losses  were  exceedingly  heavy,  while  those  of  the 
latter  were  exceedingly  small.  Judging  by  the 
losses,  Methuen  was  badly  defeated  in  both  in- 
stances, but  an  English  officer  does  not  care  how 
many  men  are  shot  dead  so  long  as  he  does  not 
lose  a  gun  or  have  to  retreat.  To  show  the  true 
character  of  this  lordly  Methuen,  I  will  say  that 
every  low  and  beastly  epithet  his  vulgar  imagi- 
nation could  invent,  he  applied  to  the  enemy,  that 
he  might  excuse  himself  for  shooting  some  twenty 
or  thirty  Boers,  some  of  them  wounded,  whom  he 
had  captured.  Of  course  he  must  add  another  lie, 
English-like,  by  claiming  the  abuse  of  the  white 


Now  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  Boers  to  begin  to 
shoot  in  retaliation  the  British  officers  and  soldiers 
at  Pretoria,  who  were  spending  their  time  playing 
football,  etc.  But  the  Boer  is  strictly  governed 
by  his  religion,  and  the  whole  world  could  not 
induce  him  to  resort  to  retaliation  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. I  longed  to  be  in  chief  command  just 

136 


The  Fighting  in  the  Free  State 

for  a  few  hours,  but,  fortunately  for  many  Brit- 
ish, I  was  not.  The  Boers  were  convinced  that 
Lord  Methuen  would  receive  his  punishment  on 
the  Day  of  Judgment,  and  I  was  just  as  thoroughly 
convinced  that  I  did  not  believe  in  such  long 
postponements  in  dealing  with  Englishmen. 

The  Boers  fell  back  from  Rooilaagte  to  Modder 
River,  not  many  miles  from  Kimberley.  Here  Gen- 
erals Prinsloo  and  de  la  Rey  were  re-enforced  by 
the  long  expected  General  Piet  Cronje,  with  about 
500  men.  He  had  come  all  the  way  from  Mafeking 
on  the  western  border  of  the  Transvaal,  but,  tired  as 
he  and  his  men  were,  they  were  all  ready  and  game 
for  fight.  Before  Cronje's  arrival,  General  de  la 
Rey  had  practically  assumed  command  over  Gen- 
eral Prinsloo,  and  placed  the  Boer  forces  in  position 
on  the  Modder  River  to  give  Methuen  and  his  army 
another  fight.  On  his  arrival,  General  Cronje,  being 
known  to  be  the  best  fighter  in  the  land,  was  given 
command  over  all  the  Boer  forces.  He  looked  over 
the  ground  and  having  thoroughly  approved  in  every 
detail  the  dispositions  of  the  men  that  General  de 
la  Rey  had  made,  he  calmly  awaited  the  arrival 
of  Methuen.  Lord  Methuen  will  never  forget  the 
battle  of  Modder  River,  and  hundreds  of  his  men 
will  never  remember  it.  The  English  were  then 
and  are  now  as  afraid  of  General  Cronje,  as  a  baboon 
is  of  a  snake,  and  I  might  say  here,  that  if  you  bring 
a  baboon  in  contact  with  a  snake,  dead  or  alive,  and 

137 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

prevent  him  from  running  away,  he  will  actually 
have  a  spasm.  Methuen  did  not  find  out,  how- 
ever, until  it  was  too  late,  that  Cronje  was  there,  for 
otherwise  he  would  have  asked  for  something  like 
20,000  men  additional.  Finally  the  28th  of  Nov- 
ember came,  and  there  was  Methuen  and  his  army. 

After  carrying  out  his  usual  program  of  bom- 
barding for  several  hours,  Methuen  advanced  his 
lines,  and  the  rifle  firing  began.  After  hours  of 
terrific  fighting,  during  which  Cronje  and  de  la  Rey 
had  unmercifully  slaughtered,  and  in  the  end  driven 
back  the  English,  and  during  which  time  the  Free 
Staters,  too,  had  covered  themselves  with  glory,  and 
just  at  the  moment  when  a  great  victory  was  really 
won,  General  Prinsloo  suddenly  withdrew  his  men 
and  allowed  the  English  to  turn  his  flank.  He 
seemed  to  be  afraid  to  win  a  victory,  and  it  is  a 
marvel  that  General  Cronje  or  General  de  la  Rey 
did  not  shoot  him  or  drive  him  to  his  home  and  put 
one  of  his  thoroughly  competent  commandants  in 
his  place.  The  result  of  this  sudden  withdrawal 
was  that  the  Boer  forces  had  to  fall  back,  and  now 
we  find  them  at  Magersfontein. 

As  Methuen  had  made  but  slow  progress  in  kill- 
ing Boers  in  honorable  fight  on  the  battlefield,  he 
now  gave  way  to  his  savage  inclination  and  had 
some  twenty  or  thirty  wounded  Boers  whom  he 
found  in  a  farmhouse  near  the  battlefield,  deliber- 
ately shot  in  cold  blood.  Of  course  Methuen  had 

138 


The  Fighting  in  the  Free  State 

seen  his  men  fall  by  the  hundred,  and  no  doubt  he 
was  highly  enraged  at  the  sight,  but  it  requires  a 
brute  to  deliberately  take  the  lives  of  helpless, 
wounded  men,  and,  in  my  experience  with  the 
brute  creation,  which  is  considerable,  I  am  sure 
that  there  are  exceedingly  few  brutes  that  would 
do  such  a  thing.  Even  the  sneaking  hyena  would 
refrain  unless  he  were  dying  of  hunger.  Now  Lord 
Methuen  had  learned  that  Cronje  was  on  deck, 
and  in  the  best  of  health,  so  he  called  for  all  the 
re-enforcements  at  hand  and  brought  up  his  dec- 
imated force  to  something  like  15,000  men  and 
six  batteries.  Cronje  was  lucky  too,  and  increased 
his  force  to  something  more  than  4,000,  but  not 
much  more.  Methuen's  were  all  trained  and  tried 
men,  and,  as  the  English  would  put  it,  invincible; 
Cronje  had  his  ordinary  farmers  who  knew  noth- 
ing whatever  about  military  training.  No  doubt 
Methuen  did  lots  of  thinking,  but  I  do  not  believe 
he  called  any  council  of  war,  because  he  is  too 
conceited  and  arrogant  to  do  such  a  thing.  He 
who  deigns  to  make  a  suggestion  to  a  lord  is  very 
liable  to  be  sent  away  and  told  to  attend  to  his 
own  business.  Although  he  is  supremely  arrogant, 
I  think  he  did  some  shaking  in  his  boots  because 
he  knew  that  Cronje  was  in  front.  For  several 
days  after  his  terrible  smashup  on  Modder  River, 
Methuen  spent  his  time  in  recuperating  and 
awaiting  re-enforcements.  Cronje  and  de  la  Rey 

139 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

spent  their  time  in  preparing  for  a  fight  at 
Magersfontein.  In  front  of  the  ridge  on  which 
they  concealed  their  small  guns  and  maxims  they 
put  the  Boers  to  work  digging  a  trench.  The 
trench  being  finished,  it  was  so  well  concealed  that 
the  English  could  not  see  it.  They  knew  that 
this  scheme  would  work,  because  Methuen  would 
not  think  of  sending  out  any  reconnoitring  parties 
to  find  out  just  how  the  Boers  were  to  make  their 
fight.  He  would  tell  you  that  it  was  unnecessary 
because  he  had  a  balloon,  and  from  that  balloon  he 
could  see  the  Boers  far  behind  their  actual,  but 
unknown  to  him  position.  The  Boers  were  not 
in  the  trenches  by  day,  but  were  far  behind  them. 
At  night  you  could  find  everyone  of  them  there, 
and  in  perfect  readiness  for  battle. 


140 


CHAPTER  X. 

MAGERSFONTEIN   AND    PAARDEBERG. 

At  last  the  day  came.  It  was  Dec.  10th  when 
Methuen  and  his  big  army  came  up  and  without 
delay  began  with  their  usual  introduction,  by  turn- 
ing six  batteries  upon  the  supposed  position  of  the 
Boer  force.  For  two  days  this  formidable  array  of 
field  and  lyddite  guns  continued  to  roar  and  keep 
the  very  heavens  filled  with  heavy  steel  shells  that 
tore  up  the  earth  generally.  No  reply  was  sent 
back  from  any  part  of  Cronje's  lines,  so  Lord 
Methuen  alone  can  lay  claim  to  making  all  that 
deafening  noise  that  so  frightened  birds  and  beasts 
during  the  10th  and  llth;  but  when  you  say  noise, 
you  have  the  sum  total  of  the  work  accomplished 
by  his  vigorous  display  of  fireworks.  It  was 
in  the  very  early  morning  of  the  12th,  that  Lord 
Methuen  decided  that  the  fearful  Cronje  and  his 
"dirty"  Boers  were  either  demolished  or  so  terribly 
demoralized  that  they  had  fled  for  safety  miles  to 
their  rear,  because  he  had  not  heard  a  murmur  from 
them  for  two  days.  Any  man  with  a  little  grain  of 
sense  would,  at  least  at  this  early  hour  in  the 
morning,  have  sent  in  advance  a  well  extended  line 

141 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

of  skirmishers  to  find  out  if  the  enemy  were  near  at 
hand  or  had  actually  fled.  No;  this  way  of  doing 
business  would  never  meet  with  the  approval  of  an 
English  lord  who  had,  by  the  accident  of  birth, 
inherited  the  brains  of  all  past  generations  in 
his  family  line;  so  he  moved  his  lines  forward  in 
close  order. 

When  Methuen's  lines  arrived  within  about  seven- 
ty-five yards  of  Cronje's  trenches,  the  demolished  or 
absconded  "dirty"  Boers  sent  a  greeting  in  the  form 
of  a  long,  dazzling  line  of  fire,  which  instantly  died 
away,  and  with  it  General  Wauchope  and  almost 
his  entire  Black  Watch,  the  crack  regiment  of  the 
English  army.  Never  in  all  history  was  such  a 
bloody  and  disastrous  battle  fought  and  won  in 
such  a  short  time.  Methuen's  men,  one  and  all, 
regardless  of  orders  or  order,  fled  as  fast  as  their 
legs  could  carry  them,  and  the  Boers  did  not  fail  to 
apply  the  whip  and  spur  at  every  stride  they  made. 
Although  the  battle  was  now  virtually  over,  yet 
some  hard  fighting  took  place  during  the  day. 
Methuen  could  not  reconcile  himself  to  his  most 
disastrous  and  disgraceful  defeat  at  the  hands  of 
such  a  small  force  of  Boers,  so  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  in  losing  more  before  he  finely 
concluded  that  he  would  have  to  return  to  his  old 
camp  on  Modder  River. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  give  long  descriptions  of 
battles    in   this  narrative,  for   I    know  they  are 

142 


Magersf  ontein  and  Paardeberg 

tiresome,  but,  painful  to  me  as  it  may  be,  I  must  say 
something  of  that  little  band  of  Scandinavians  who 
were  with  Cronje  in  that  great  victory.  I  knew 
personally  almost  every  one  of  that  band  of  sixty 
men.  The  Scandinavian  is  quiet,  gentlemanly,  and 
the  most  tractable  soldier  in  camp,  but  the  most 
daring,  reckless  and  fearless  soldier  I  have  ever 
seen,  when  it  comes  to  fighting.  Not  satisfied  with 
the  early  morning's  work,  this  little  body  moved 
out,  on  its  own  account,  after  the  sun  was  well  up, 
and  deliberately  attacked  Methuen's  army.  They 
actually  engaged  a  force  of  at  least  fifteen  to  one 
against  them,  and  fought  till  they  were  practically 
exterminated  as  a  body.  Sure  it  is  that  each 
one  of  that  reckless  little  band  accounted  for  at 
least  one  Englishman  before  he  forfeited  his  own 
life.  Having  practically  wiped  them  out,  the  Eng- 
lish set  to  work  to  rob  and  strip  them,  and  punch 
their  bodies  full  of  holes.  General  Cronje  captured 
a  small  bunch  of  prisoners  during  the  day,  but  sent 
them  to  Pretoria  to  play  football.  Early  in  the 
afternoon,  Methuen,  having  satisfied  himself  that  he 
had  murdered  enough  of  his  own  men,  decided  to 
retreat,  and  did  so,  but  at  a  much  more  rapid  pace 
than  he  had  expected,  for  now  Cronje's  guns  were 
turned  upon  him,  and  induced  him  to  move  more 
rapidly,  and  quickly  vanish  hi  the  distance.  Here 
was  a  fearful  slaughter  of  English,  the  greatest  so  far 
during  the  war,  but  only  because  this  great  battle 

143 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

was  fought  just  three  days  before  that  of  Colenso, 
near  Ladysmith,  where  General  Louis  Botha  so 
terribly  defeated  General  Buller  and  his  fine  army. 

After  Lord  Methuen  reached  his  old  camp  on 
Modder  River,  I  have  an  idea  that  he  did  some 
really  hard  thinking,  for  he  must  make  a  report, 
and  in  that  report  he  must  show  that  his  defeat  was 
a  victory,  because  a  lord  cannot  be  defeated.  Un- 
fortunately, I  have  never  seen  his  report,  but  it  is 
safe  to  conclude  that  he  saw  the  Boers  in  over- 
whelming numbers  and  that  some  Colonial  had 
proved  traitor  to  him  and  led  him  into  an  ambush. 
I  merely  mention  this  as  a  guess,  because  it  is  the 
usual  method  adopted  by  the  British  officer  to  hide 
his  incapacity.  Methuen's  soldiers  are  not  through 
to  this  day  damning  him  for  his  conduct  in  this  bat- 
tle, but  we  all  know  that  soldiers'  words  are  but 
naught  in  England  when  a  lord  speaks.  It  is  an 
awful  shame,  but  very  true. 

Methuen  returned  to  his  old  camp  fully  convinced 
that  he  had  had  enough.  He  had  no  desire  to  try 
his  luck  again  against  Cronje  and  he  never  did. 
Cronje  stopped  just  where  he  was  for  several  weeks, 
looking  for  another  advance  of  Methuen,  or  some 
other  English  army.  He  did  not  care  how  many 
came,  for  he  was  there  to  fight.  I  must  say  this 
about  General  Cronje  that  he  may  be  thoroughly 
understood.  He  is  stubbornness  itself,  will  take 
advice  from  no  one,  is  absolutely  fearless,  and 

144 


Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg 

constantly  craves  a  fight  with  the  English.  I  do 
not  believe  the  world's  history  can  show  his  equal 
as  a  commandant,  but  as  a  general  he  is  an  absolute 
failure.  He  must  have  some  one  over  him,  and 
under  no  circumstances  must  he  be  allowed  to  com- 
mand. Order  him  to  take  a  kopje,  and  he  is  sure  to 
take  it.  Order  him  to  hold  a  position,  and  he  is  sure 
to  hold  it.  Order  him  to  retreat,  and  he  will  do  it. 
But  put  huii  in  supreme  command,  and  the  com- 
bined influence  of  the  immortal  gods  could  not  in- 
duce him  to  retreat,  it  matters  not  what  the  odds 
against  him,  or  what  the  circumstances  might 
be.  Every  drop  of  blood  that  courses  through 
his  body  literally  burns  with  patriotism,  .and 
of  the  whole  Africander  race  I  believe  that 
General  Piet  Cronje  would  be  the  first  to  step  for- 
ward and  lay  down  his  life  for  the  freedom  and 
independence  of  his  people. 

But  I  must  say  of  General  Cronje  that  he  is  a  man 
wrapped  up  in  his  own  conceit.  He  considered 
himself  the  only  great  fighter  in  South  Africa,  and, 
when  captured,  he  is  the  very  man  to  say  that  the 
Boers  should  surrender  because  the  great  Cronje 
can  no  longer  lead  them.  In  this  respect  he  is  a 
fool,  but  fools  often  become  wise  men  by  experience. 
If  I  should  hear  that  General  Cronje  was  condemn- 
ing his  fellow  countrymen  for  prolonging  the  war 
after  his  capture,  I  should  not  be  surprised,  because 
he  is  so  eaten  up  with  his  own  importance, 

145 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Such  is  the  man,  General  Piet  Cronje,  and  may  he 
live  long,  and  have,  as  a  commandant,  one  more 
crack  at  the  British,  and  then  I  think  all  will  be 
well  for  South  Africa ! 

After  the  Battle  of  Magersfontein,  General  de  la 
Rey  was  sent  to  Colesberg  to  take  command  of  the 
forces  against  General  French.  General  PietDe 
Wet  and  General  Schoeman  had  been  fighting 
French  daily,  and  had  been  gradually  driven  back 
to  their  strong  defensive  position  at  Colesberg. 
The  Boer  forces  were  about  2,500  strong,  but  were 
divided  into  small  commands  in  order  to  guard  a 
wide  extent  of  country.  General  French  had  only 
15,000  men  and  thirty  guns,  so  he  made  but  small 
progress  in  his  advance  on  Colesberg.  The  Boers 
hotly  contested  every  inch  of  ground,  and  almost 
every  one  of  the  little  commands  did  some  daring 
work.  Early  in  January,  General  de  la  Rey  ar- 
rived and  at  once  assumed  command.  Hot  skir- 
mishes were  now  the  general  order  of  the  day  all 
along  the  lines,  and  on  January  25th,  west  of  Col- 
esberg, General  de  la  Rey  had  made  it  so  warm 
for  him,  that,  instead  of  continuing  to  advance, 
General  French  changed  his  mind  and  retreated. 
De  la  Rey  followed  him,  but  never  came  in  touch 
with  him  again  because  he  had  left  for  Cape  Town. 
It  seems  that  after  the  Battle  of  Magersfontein, 
Lord  Roberts  became  much  frightened  at  the  pres- 
ence of  Cronje  and  called  for  help. 

146 


Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg 

French  was  ordered  to  report  to  him  at  once, 
and  left  early  in  January  to  help  Roberts  out  of  his 
troubles.  General  Clements  took  French's  place, 
but  could  do  no  better  than  his  predecessor  against 
de  la  Rey.  On  February  llth,  the  Battle  of  Sling- 
ersfontein  was  fought.  It  lasted  for  many  hours 
and  was  stubbornly  contested  by  both  sides,  but  in 
the  end  de  la  Rey  proved  too  much  for  him,  and 
General  Clements  fled  to  Arundel,  forgetting  to  take 
his  camp  with  him.  The  burghers  were  hungry  and 
thirsty  and  this  camp  amply  satisfied  all  their  wants. 
General  de  la  Rey  was  now  directed  to  return  to 
the  Modder  River  and  co-operate  with  General 
Cronje  against  General  Roberts  and  his  mighty 
army.  During  his  short  period  of  operating  about 
Colesberg  he  had  captured  some  500  prisoners, 
driven  French's  army  back  and  made  good  his 
record  of  never  having  been  defeated. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  Magersfontein,  General 
Cronje  saw  that  the  British  were  appearing  hi 
thousands  in  all  directions,  and  he  finally  made  up 
his  mind  to  move  his  little  command  to  Paardeberg. 
His  very  stubbornness  prevented  his  moving  earlier, 
but  he  was  satisfied.  He  saw  that  he  was  being 
gradually  but  surely  surrounded  by  an  enormous 
army,  yet  he  never  quailed.  He  was  begged  by  such 
patriots  and  great  and  competent  generals  as  Chris- 
tian De  Wet,  de  la  Rey,  Phillip  Botha  and  even 
Com.-Gen.  Joubert,  of  the  Transvaal,  to  get  out  of 

147 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  ring  nearly  completed  about  him  while  he  had 
an  opportunity.  He  utterly  ignored  all  of  them, 
practically  told  them  to  go  to  Hades,  and  silenced 
them,  for  he  was  there  to  fight,  and  was  going  to 
fight.  He  did  fight,  and  can  history  show  anything 
to  compare  with  it? 

I  am  not  going  into  the  details  of  this  nine  days' 
fight,  but  will  give  the  main  features  and  the  re- 
sult. Here  was  a  common,  ordinary  farmer,  with- 
out any  military  training  or  education,  in  command 
of  a  little  more  than  4,000  equally  untrained  far- 
mers, and  four  or  five  old  Krupp  guns.  With  him 
were  a  great  number  of  refugee  Boer  women  and 
children,  who  had  come  to  him  for  protection 
against  the  insults  and  outrages  of  the  British  sol- 
diery. Sad  to  relate,  this  is  the  actual  truth,  yet 
we  still  hear  Anglo-Americans  speaking  of  the  civil- 
ized English.  Opposed  to  him  was  the  very  flower 
of  the  English  Empire.  There  were  Lord  Roberts, 
Lord  Kitchener,  General  Kelly-Kenny,  that  able 
commander,  Hector  MacDonald,  General  French 
and  many  other  stars  of  the  British  army.  Altogether 
they  had  some  50,000  men  around  General  Cronje. 
These  men  were  all  tried  military  men,  trained  and 
educated.  Besides,  Lord  Roberts  had  120  cannon, 
field  guns  and  lyddite  guns.  The  British  may  tell 
you  that  there  were  mountains  there  higher  than 
Mount  Everest,  but  believe  me,  there  are  no  moun- 
tains there  whatever.  General  Cronje  and  his  little 

148 


GENERAL  LORD  KITCHENER. 

One  who  believes  that  the  only  way  to  establish  permanent 

peace  in  South  Africa  is  to    destroy    the   Boer 

women  and  children. 


Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg 

band  of  patriots  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Modder 
River,  where  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  could 
manoeuvre  without  any  difficulty.  It  was,  I  think, 
on  the  18th  of  February  that  Roberts  began 
with  all  his  guns  to  bombard  Cronje.  Almost  con- 
tinually for  nine  days,  120  cannon  were  busy  try- 
ing to  destroy  that  little  band  of  patriots.  Once 
Lord  Kitchener  thought  he  would  play  a  Khartoum 
act.  He  recalled  the  time  when  he  charged  upon 
and  murdered  some  10,000  to  15,000  unarmed  ne- 
groes at  Khartoum,  and  saw  no  reason  why  he  could 
not  do  the  same  thing  with  4,000  Boers.  He  for- 
got that  the  negroes  were  armed  only  with  sticks, 
while  the  Boers  had  mausers.  He  advanced  bold- 
ly, had  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  his  men  slaught- 
ered, and  then  fled  as  rapidly  as  he  could.  After 
the  battle  had  been  raging  for  two  or  three  days, 
General  Cronje  asked  for  an  armistice  to  bury 
his  dead.  Lord  Roberts  positively  refused.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  war  the  Boers  never  once  denied  the 
English  an  armistice  for  that  purpose,  although  they 
knew  that  the  English,  in  every  instance,  took  ad- 
vantage of  it  to  strengthen  their  position.  There 
is  a  wide  difference  between  a  Boer  savage  and  a 
civilized  Englishman.  Give  me  the  former,  but 
deliver  me  from  the  latter! 

As  Roberts  had  captured  Cronje's  ambulance  wag- 
ons and  would  not  allow  any  doctor  to  go  and  at- 
tend to  his  wounded,  and  as  he  was  not  permitted 

149 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

to  bury  his  dead,  of  course,  the  condition  of  the  camp 
became  such  that  the  women  and  children  could  not 
endure  it;  and  the  Boers  too  were  suffering  on  ac- 
count of  it,  so  Cronje's  commandants  and  veldcor- 
nets  forced  him  to  hoist  the  white  flag  on  February 
27th.  The  battle  was  over  and  Lord  Roberts  had 
Cronje  and  his  4,000  men  as  prisoners  of  war.  No 
doubt  General  Cronje  would  have  been  shot  had 
there  not  been  about  750  British  officers  and  4,000 
soldiers  as  prisoners  of  war  in  Pretoria.  This  alone 
saved  the  old  patriot's  life,  and  we  all  know  it. 

On  receiving  the  first  news  of  the  capture  of  the 
great  Cronje  and  his  army  by  the  wonderful  Lord 
Roberts,  Commander-in-Chief,  A.  B.  C.  D.  E.,  etc., 
all  London  took  a  holiday,  went  crazy  mad,  and  the 
papers  put  out  their  posters  showing  that  Cronje 
with  15,000  or  20,000  or  30,000  "dirty"  Boers  had 
been  captured.  When  they  finally  learned  that 
Cronje  had  only  4,000  men  against  Lord  Robert's 
big  army,  all  slunk  their  heads  and  retired  to  their 
homes.  What  Lord  Roberts  considered  his  great- 
est victory  the  world  at  large  considered  his  great- 
est defeat. 

What  the  English  losses  were  we  do  not  know, 
and  I  know  that  the  English  people  do  not  know 
either,  for  Mr.  Chamberlain  says  that  the  death  lists 
are  not  yet  completed.  If  the  complete  returns 
are  ever  made  known,  I  think  we  shall  see  that 
Roberts  had  as  many  men  put  out  of  action  as 

150 


Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg 

Cronje  had  in  his  command.  General  Cronje  had 
about  seventy  men  killed  and  about  three  times  that 
number  wounded. 

I  will  now  go  to  Stormberg  and  Aliwal  North, 
the  two  really  most  important  points  on  the  Free 
State  border,  for  here  was  the  easy  and  natural  way 
for  the  English  to  reach  Bloemfontein. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  English 
occupied  and  well  fortified  Stormberg,  and  this  was 
the  only  sensible  thing  they  did.  After  a  few 
weeks  occupation,  they,  for  some  reason  unknown 
to  me,  abandoned  this  position  and  fell  back  to 
Molteno.  Of  course  the  Boers  lost  no  time  in 
taking  possession  of  the  good  work  the  English 
had  done  and  abandoned.  Generals  Olivier  and 
Grobler  were  there,  and  old  General  Hendrik 
Schoeman  was  near  at  hand.  Schoeman  was  a 
fraud  and  afterwards  joined  the  English  to  be 
blown  up  by  a  supposed  empty  lyddite  shell  in 
his  home  in  Pretoria  while  engaged  in  a  plot  with 
others  against  his  people.  That  empty  shell  had 
a  little  lyddite  caked  in  the  bottom,  and  Schoeman, 
having  struck  a  match  and  lighted  his  pipe,  threw 
the  still  burning  match  into  the  empty  shell.  An 
explosion  followed,  tearing  out  the  side  of  the 
building,  killing  Schoeman,  another  traitor  by  the 
name  of  Van  Der  Merwe,  and  Schoeman's  daughter, 
and  seriously  wounding  old  man  Viljoen.  This 
proves  that  it  is  a  good  thing  for  traitors  to  make 

151 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

useful  souvenirs  of  empty  lyddite  shells.  It  was 
a  source  of  regret  to  all,  however,  that  Miss  Schoe- 
man  should  have  entered  the  room  just  as  the  ex- 
plosion took  place,  and  lost  her  life. 

Both  Grobler  and  Olivier  were  good  officers  and 
did  good  work.  The  total  Boer  force  was  less 
than  a  thousand  with  which  they  had  to  oppose 
General  Gatacre  and  3,000  men.  Besides,  Gat- 
acre  had  six  or  eight  cannon,  as  well  as  several 
maxims.  Few  shots  were  fired  by  either  side  un- 
til the  10th  of  December,  when  General  Gatacre 
attacked.  The  fighting  was  very  hot  while  it 
lasted,  but  it  did  not  continue  long  before  Gatacre 
saw  his  little  army  cut  into  pieces,  and  in  a  rapid 
and  disorderly  retreat  to  Molteno.  In  addition  to 
his  severe  loss  in  dead  and  wounded,  two  cannon 
and  over  600  of  his  men  were  taken. 
Before  this  battle  all  the  English  and  Colonial 
papers  were  full  of  the  wonderful  deeds  and  the 
great  capacity  of  this  distinguished  soldier,  General 
Gatacre,  and  it  was  certain  that  he  would  make  a 
skip  to  Stormberg  and  then  a  jump  and  land  in 
Bloemfontein,  leaving  nothing  but  dead  Boers  be- 
hind him.  The  British  officer  is  a  wonderful 
genius  on  paper,  but  a  very  weak  sister  on  the 
battlefield.  General  Gatacre  did  a  great  deal 
in  this  district  towards  the  ultimate  independence 
of  South  Africa ;  for  the  number  of  men  he  arrest- 
ed, charged  as  spies  and  then  shot,  is  very  great, 

152 


Magersfontein  and  Paardeberg 

and  all  their  names  are  dearly  cherished  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Africanders.  This  battle  finished 
the  great  Gatacre;  at  any  rate,  we  never  heard  of 
him  again  during  the  war. 


153 


CHAPTER  XL 

DE   WET   LOOMS   UP. 

Now  we  will  go  to  the  western  border  of  the 
Transvaal  and  see  what  has  been  done  at  Maf  eking. 
No  one  ever  displayed  any  interest  in  Maf  eking,  yet 
some  skirmishing  and  letter  writing  was  going  on 
daily.  General  Snyman  commanded  the  Boers  and 
Baden-Powell  the  English.  Mafeking  is  situated 
in  an  open  flat  dotted  with  a  few  small  hills  here  and 
there.  Baden-Powell  dug  holes  and  put  his  men 
and  some  women  in  them.  They  lived  like  prairie 
dogs.  He  had  three  or  four  years'  supply  of  good 
ammunition,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should 
not  have  been  happy  and  contented.  He  laid  big 
mines,  but  they  never  caught  any  one.  He  loaded 
cars  with  dynamite  and  tried  to  explode  them 
among  the  Boers,  but  he  always  failed.  He  would 
make  bold  attacks,  lose  a  lot  of  men,  then  run  back, 
crawl  into  his  hole,  and  write  a  long  letter  com- 
plaining of  ill-treatment.  So  it  went  on  from  day 
to  day  until  the  place  was  relieved.  Captain  Eloff 
had  the  place  taken  once,  but  old  Snyman  failed 
to  come  up  with  his  300  men,  so  the  brave  Eloff 
was  left  alone  and  captured.  Snyman  had  given 
his  solemn  word  to  Eloff  that  he  would  not  fail  him. 

154 


GENERAL    DE   WET 


De  Wet  Looms  Up 

Of  all  of  the  many  utterly  worthless  generals  the 
Boers  had  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  I  am  sure 
that  Snyman  was  the  worst,  and  I  am  not  certain  that 
he  would  be  a  success  at  herding  sheep.  After 
Baden-Powell  was  released  from  Maf  eking,  we  heard 
but  little  more  about  him  as  a  righting  man.  Judg_ 
ing  by  the  volume  of  insane  letters  that  he  wrote 
while  imprisoned,  it  is  easy  to  conclude  that  he  had 
at  least  two  screws  loose  in  his  head.  Many  of  the 
constabulary  police  we  captured  told  us  that 
although  Baden-Powell  was  nominally  in  command, 
yet  he  never  exercised  any  authority  over  them. 

"Every  little  while,"  they  said,  "he  would  have  to 
go  home  for  private  treatment  because  there  was 
something  wrong  about  his  head.'*  1  fully  believe 
this,  for  the  papers  would  announce  his  departure 
for  London  on  account  of  sickness,  and,  after  a 
three  or  four  months'  absence  we  would  see  him  in 
some  of  the  London  illustrated  papers  togged  up 
in  great  style,  with  a  huge  Texas  sombrero  on 
his  head,  the  loose  flowing  cowboy  shirt,  trousers 
to  match,  and  a  very  tall  pair  of  top  boots.  Then 
it  was  that  he  intended  to  return.  To  be  shot — 
with  a  camera — is  his  greatest  delight,  and  to  write 
foolish  letters  is  his  hobby. 

After  all,  General  Baden-Powell,  there  were 
worse  specimens  than  you  in  the  English  army 
during  the  war,  and  there  are  still  many  worse  speci- 
mens in  that  same  army  to-day,  many  of  whom  hold 

155 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

higher  rank  than  you.  When  I  say  that  you  have 
two  screws  loose  in  your  head,  I  may  be  doing  you 
a  good  service  in  the  eyes  of  humanity,  for  you  know 
that  you  armed  several  hundred  Kaffirs  and  had 
them  with  you  in  Maf  eking,  and  that  several  hun- 
dred of  the  British-armed  Kaffirs  outside  of  Maf  e- 
king  murdered  many  old  Boer  men,  women  and 
children  hi  their  homes,  who  took  no  part  in  the  war. 
No  sane  man,  no  honorable  man,  no  true  soldier 
would  resort  to  such  beastly  methods  to  outdo  his 
ten-fold  weaker  foe.  In  fact  nobody  but  a  Britisher 
would  be  guilty  of  such  infamous  conduct.  Colonel 
Plumer  with  his  mixed  command  of  regulars  and 
volunteers  north  of  Mafeking  and  on  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  Transvaal  came  so  near  doing 
nothing,  that  I  will  pass  him  by  and  give  some  of 
the  reasons  why  the  Boers  laid  siege  to  Ladysmith, 
Kimberley  and  Mafeking.  I  admit  that  I  cannot 
give  a  good  one,  for  I  don't  believe  there  is  one. 
However,  the  Boer  officers  generally  thought  it 
the  best  thing  to  do.  Commandant-General  Jou- 
bert  told  me  that  he  thought  that  by  holding 
Ladysmith  closely  invested,  General  White  would 
soon  consent  to  a  surrender,  and  thereby  save  much 
bloodshed.  The  idea  of  killing  people  was  repul- 
sive to  him,  and,  furthermore,  he  could  see  no 
reason  for  it.  We  could  easily  have  gone  to 
Maritzburg  and  then  to  Durban  before  Buller 
arrived,  and  at  the  same  time  held  Genera1  White's 

156 


De  Wet  Looms  Up 

line  of  communication.  This  would  actually  have 
put  General  White  in  a  worse  predicament  than  he 
was  hi  at  Ladysmith.  He  could  have  done  noth- 
ing, for  all  bridges  and  the  railway  behind  would 
be  destroyed  and  our  total  force  was  as  large  as 
his  by  the  fifth  of  November.  Once  the  Boers  had 
seized  Maritzburg,  General  White  could  have  done 
nothing.  It  was  all  in  our  hands,  and  besides  we 
would  have  received  several  thousand  recruits  from 
the  Natal  Boers.  For  no  other  reason  except  to 
save  life  was  Ladysmith  besieged. 

Kimberley  could  have  easily  been  taken,  but  here 
another  factor  came  in.  To  take  the  place,  all  the 
Boers  had  to  do  was  to  destroy  De  Aar  Junction, 
the  supply  depot  there,  and  the  branch  line  to 
Kimberley.  Having  done  this,  the  next  step  was  to 
proceed  on  the  Cape  Railway  line  and  destroy  it. 
The  English  could  have  done  nothing  without  these 
lines,  and  Kimberley  would  have  fallen  without  one 
shot  being  fired.  But  President  Steyn  prevented 
this  because  it  put  the  Dutch  Cape  Ministry  in  a 
bad  dilemma.  This  Ministry  was  friendly  to  the 
Boers  and  no  doubt  wished  them  every  success,  but 
had  the  Boers  proceeded  as  I  have  suggested,  the 
British  Government  would  have  charged  the  Minis- 
try with  treasonable  conduct.  So  De  Aar  Junction 
and  all  the  railway  lines  were  allowed  to  remain  in 
good  order  for  the  use  of  Lord  Roberts  and  his 
army.  The  Boers  in  their  every  act  were  always 

157 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

swayed  by  their  love  of  justice  and  humanity,  and 
were  always  ready  to  sacrifice  themselves  in  order 
to  do  good  to  others.  It  was  a  vital  mistake  they 
made,  and  I  repeatedly  told  them  so,  because  they 
knew,  and  I  knew,  that  the  liberty  and  independ- 
ence of  their  land  were  at  stake.  I  used  to  beg 
General  Joubert  to  throw  the  whole  force  of  the 
Boers  in  the  Free  State  into  Cape  Colony  and 
destroy  all  bridges  and  railway  lines,  for  I  knew,  if 
this  was  done,  we  would  get  15,000  or  20,000 
recruits  in  Cape  Colony,  and  the  English  could 
never  then  push  then-  way  across  the  Orange  River. 
But  the  good,  humane  General  Joubert  would  never 
consent  to  do  anything  that  might  cause  trouble  for 
his  friends  in  Cape  Town.  I  respected  him  for  the 
stand  he  took;  in  fact,  I  admired  and  loved  him  for 
it;  but  it  was  not  business  in  dealing  with  such  an 
unscrupulous  enemy  as  Great  Britain. 

Ladysmith  and  Kimberley  were  practically  re- 
lieved on  the  same  day,  February  27th,  and  a 
few  days  afterwards  followed  the  relief  of  Mafe- 
king.  To  lay  siege  to  Mafeking  was  positively 
foolish,  and  had  the  Boers  allowed  General  Baden- 
Powell  to  come  out,  why,  they  would  have  had 
him  and  all  his  men  in  Pretoria  for  their  Christmas 
dinner  at  President  Kruger's  expense.  Mafeking 
was  of  little  or  no  importance  to  either  party  in  the 
war,  so  long  as  the  English  were  not  permitted  to 
cross  the  Orange  River,  and  they  never  could  have 

158 


De  Wet  Looms  Up 

crossed  or  reached  the  Orange  River  if  all  the 
bridges  and  railways  in  Cape  Colony  had  been  de- 
stroyed. The  Karoo,  a  wide  desert,  must  first  be 
crossed,  and  no  large  army  would  dare  make  the 
venture  of  crossing. 

The  way  the  English  managed  their  transporta- 
tion, and  the  food  they  furnished  to  the  soldier, 
would  have  sufficed  to  kill  half  the  army.  Had  the 
Boers  of  the  Free  State  combined  and  entered 
Cape  Colony,  General  Duller  would  have  given  up 
all  hope  of  relieving  Lady  smith,  and  General  White 
would  have  been  a  prisoner  of  war.  What  a  fatal, 
fatal  mistake  it  was  to  give  so  much  consideration 
to  the  personal  feelings  of  others,  when  the  very 
life  of  the  land  was  at  stakel  There  were  so  many 
ways  by  which  the  Boers  could  have  beaten  the 
English  and  maintained  the  independence  of  the 
the  two  little  Republics,  that  it  is  positively  painful 
for  me  to  think  or  write  about  the  incidents  and 
outcome  of  the  war.  I  hope  with  all  my  heart 
that  the  Boers  in  the  future  will  remember  and 
never  forget  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  re- 
ligion and  humanity  to  contend  successfully  against 
unscrupulousness  and  treachery  in  this  civilized 
age  of  the  twentieth  centuiy.  If  they  will  only  re- 
member this,  and  act  accordingly,  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  they  will  drive  the  British  from  South 
Africa's  shores,  and  the  Africander  race  will,  for 
the  first  time  in  250  years,  breathe  the  air  of 

159 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

permanent  peace  and  be  recognized  by  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  as  a  free  and  independent  people,  in  a 
land  over  which  will  wave  the  Africander  flag  to 
the  end  of  time. 

In  the  last  days  of  March  General  De  Wet 
scored  another  victory  against  a  far  superior  force 
under  the  command  of  General  Broadwood.  It 
was  at  Sanna's  Post  that  General  De  Wet  placed 
his  300  men  in  the  bed  of  Koorn  Spruit  on  both 
sides  of  the  road  crossing,  and  gave  orders  that  not 
a  shot  was  to  be  fired  until  he  gave  the  command. 
The  previous  day  he  had  directed  Generals  P. 
Cronje,  J.  B.  Wessels,  C.  L.  Froneman  and  Piet 
De  Wet  with  some  1,100  burghers  and  four  guns, 
to  proceed  to  the  east  side  of  the  Modder  River, 
and  bombard  Sanna's  Post  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
on  the  following  morning.  This  would  drive 
General  Broadwood,  his  2,000  men  and  nine  guns, 
by  him  and  his  men  concealed  in  the  Koorn  Spruit, 
for  this  was  directly  on  their  line  of  retreat  to  Bloem- 
f  ontein.  When  General  De  Wet  gave  these  orders, 
General  Broadwood  was  at  Thaba'Nchu  but,  to 
his  surprise,  he,  General  Broadwood,  after  it  be- 
came dark  moved  his  force  to  the  Bloemfontein 
Water  Works  in  the  very  presence  of  General  De 
Wet  and  his  men  concealed  in  the  Koorn  Spruit. 
At  daylight  General  De  Wet  discovered  this  over- 
whelming force  at  close  quarters,  but  he  was  not 
frightened  for  he  felt  that  in  his  position  he  was 

160 


De  Wet  Looms  Up 

equal  to  it.  General  Broadwood  was  breaking 
camp,  and  some  of  his  teams  and  men  were  just 
starting  on  their  way  to  Bloemfontein.  The  Boers 
by  strict  orders,  lay  low  and  said  nothing  until  the 
carts  and  wagons  reached  them,  when,  as  fast  as  they 
arrived,  they  were  made  prisoners  and  concealed  in 
the  bed  of  the  spruit,  that  is,  a  deep  ravine.  After 
nearly  all  the  wagons  and  carts  and  some  200 
Tommies  had  been  made  prisoners,  General  Broad- 
wood  discovered  that  there  was  something  wrong 
about  that  spruit,  and  as  he  had  five  cannon  very 
near  to  it  he  concluded  to  withdraw  them  and  put 
them  in  a  safer  place.  He  was  sorely  disappointed 
for  General  De  Wet  had  his  eye  on  those  five 
guns  and  besides  the  other  generals  with  their  1,100 
men  opened  fire  on  Broadwood's  camp  at  the  same 
time.  Now  was  the  time  for  confusion,  and 
General  Broadwood  and  his  2,000  men  were  so 
terribly  confused  that  they  lost  no  tune  in  running 
for  their  lives,  but  they  had  sense  enough  to  dodge 
the  ford  where  General  De  Wet  and  his  300  men 
were  concealed.  On  both  sides  of  General  De 
Wet,  General  Broadwood's  brave  2,000  Britishers 
passed  within  easy  rifle  range  and  as  fast  as  they 
could  run. 

As  the  2,000  panic-stricken  brave  Britishers 
passed  in  review,  General  De  Wet  and  his  300 
patriots  did  not  fail  to  make  their  mausers  sing  in 
unerring  tones  and  give  them  a  good  send  off. 

161 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

General  Broadwood  and  two-thirds  of  his  men 
escaped.  He  left  behind  350  men  killed  and 
wounded,  480  prisoners,  seven  cannon  and  117 
wagons  to  the  tender  mercies  of  General  De  Wet. 
The  total  Boer  loss  was  three  killed  and  five 
wounded.  The  British  Government  and  all  London 
rejoiced  over  General  Broadwood's  escape.  I  must 
confess  that  he  deserved  a  great  deal  of  credit  and 
merited  the  gratulations  of  his  Queen,  for  some 
other  British  general  might  have  fared  worse. 

Ill  the  first  days  of  April,  after  his  great  success 
at  Sanna's  Post,  General  DeWet  collected  more  men 
and  went  to  Reddersberg  where  he  knew  there 
were  some  English  troops.  On  his  arrival  he  found 
the  English,  but  they  did  not  make  much  resistance. 
They  abused  the  white  flag,  and  by  so  doing,  killed 
one  of  his  veldcornets  and  killed  six  of  his  men. 
The  English  having  hoisted  their  white  flag  and  all 
firing  having  ceased,  General  De  Wet  and  his 
men  advanced  to  receive  their  arms,  ammunition, 
etc.  On  arriving  within  close  range  the  English 
suddenly  began  firing  again  although  their  white 
flag  was  still  flying.  General  De  Wet's  men  fol- 
lowed their  example,  and  within  five  minutes 
several  more  white  flags  were  flying,  but  so  furious 
were  the  burghers  at  the  English  treachery  that 
General  De  Wet  was  unable  to  restrain  them  till 
100  English  had  been  killed  and  wounded.  Now 
the  remaining  470  gladly  and  promptly  laid  down 

162 


De  Wet  Looms  Up 

their  arms.  That  one  act  of  treachery  caused  the 
death  of  that  brave  and  good  veldcornet,  Du 
Plessis,  and  General  De  Wet  failed  to  appreciate 
the  cause  of  humanity  when  he  did  not  shoot  down 
every  officer  among  his  470  prisoners. 


163 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PAYING   AN   INSTALMENT   ON   THE   IRISH   DEBT. 

I  will  now  return  to  the  Irish  boys  whom  I  left 
at  Smaldeel  station,  thirty  miles  north  of  Brandfort 
in  the  Free  State.  During  the  few  days  we  spent 
here,  every  preparation  was  made  for  hot,  lively 
work,  for  we  knew  that  it  was  near  the  time  when 
orders  would  come  to  advance  and  meet  Lord 
Roberts  and  his  great  army  of  90,000  men,  with 
camion  in  proportion.  On  the  afternoon  of  May 
1st,  1900,  we  received  instructions  to  proceed  to 
Brandfort  and  join  with  General  de  la  Rey,  so, 
having  packed  all  tents,  baggage,  etc.,  in  a  freight 
car — which  we  scarcely  ever  expected  to  see  again, 
— we  started  on  our  way,  and  never  a  happier  or 
more  delighted  lot  of  boys  went  to  a  holiday  picnic 
than  those  that  went  to  face  English  bullets  and 
shells. 

It  was  a  long,  cold  ride,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  following  day  we  were  camped  in  the 
bush  on  the  bank  of  the  little  creek  at  Brandfort. 
Rumors  were  soon  going  the  rounds  that  the  British 
were  near  at  hand,  but  it  was  so  dark  that  we  could 
not  have  seen  them  had  they  been  only  twenty  feet 

164 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

away.  So  we  decided  to  go  to  sleep  and  get  up 
before  daylight  in  the  morning,  that  we  might  be 
ready  to  meet  trouble. 

In  the  early  morning  we  learned  that  the 
English  had  slept  in  the  bush  on  the  same  creek, 
a  few  miles  below  us,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  came 
up  we  saw  them.  There  before  us  was  Roberts 
with  his  90,000  men,  by  far  the  largest  army  that 
any  of  us  had  ever  seen,  and,  as  far  as  we  knew, 
there  was  to  oppose  him  a  mouthful  of  Irishmen 
at  Brandf ort.  The  Russian  attache,  Colonel  Gourko, 
the  French  attache,  Captain  Demange,  and  the 
American  attache,  Captain  Carl  Reichmann,  were 
there  too.  I  think  everyone  of  them  came  near 
being  captured,  for  they  were  a  plucky  lot  of  fellows 
and  were  determined  to  see  how  the  English  would 
act  in  the  face  of  a  handful  of  Irishmen.  I  don't 
know  how  the  spectacle  struck  the  attaches,  but 
the  English  reminded  me  of  a  lot  of  ants  whose 
routine  of  action  had  been  disturbed  by  some  mis- 
chievous boy,  for  they  seemed  to  be  moving  aim- 
lessly in  all  directions.  I  really  believe  that 
Roberts  and  his  90,000  men  were  afraid  that  a  few 
hundred  Boers  might  lay  an  ambush  for  them  at 
Brandfort.  This  idea  is  preposterous,  but  I  tell 
you  that  Englishmen  are  terribly  afraid  of  Boers, 
and  when  they  see  one,  that  one  will  appear  as 
many  as  at  least  ten  to  them. 

165 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

South  of  Brandfort  about  three  miles,  there  is  a 
line  of  kopjes  running  east  and  west.  Several 
columns  of  cavalry  were  moving  south  of  them  and 
parallel  to  them.  It  was  plain  that  they  intended 
to  attack  that  line  of  kopjes.  There  were  no  Boers 
in  them  at  the  time,  but  the  English  imagined  they 
were  full  of  them.  Early  in  the  morning  the 
Heidelburg  Commando,  about  600  strong,  joined 
with  us  at  the  tall  hill  by  Brandfort.  All  then 
went  at  full  speed  to  reach  the  kopjes  before  the 
English.  We  barely  succeeded,  for  no  sooner  had 
we  dismounted  than  the  English  began  with 
both  cannon  and  rifle  to  make  it  warm  for  us. 

The  new  boys  from  Chicago  and  Massachusetts, 
although  it  was  their  first  tune  under  fire,  were  in 
great  glee,  and  with  the  old  men  of  the  brigade 
began  to  fire.  Although  huge  shells  tore  up  the 
earth  about  them,  and  thousands  of  bullets  were 
chipping  stones  and  singing  in  the  air,  yet  not  one 
of  them  seemed  to  realize  that  he  was  in  any 
danger  whatever.  They  were  all  too  intent  on 
their  own  work  to  realize  their  danger.  Between 
the  Irish  boys  and  the  Heidelburg  Commando  there 
was  a  large  and  very  high  kopje,  so  that  neither 
party  could  see  the  other.  The  Irish  boys  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  English  right  back  and 
were  much  pleased  with  their  work.  About  two 
p.  m.,  a  courier  came  near  me  and  yelled  out, 

166 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

"General  Spruit  says  get  your  men  away  as  quick- 
ly as  possible."  In  loud  tones  I  asked,  "What  is 
the  trouble?"  But  he  was  in  too  much  of  a  hurry 
to  give  answer,  and  he  was  soon  far  on  his  way 
across  the  flat  in  our  rear.  I  called  to  the  boys 
and  told  them  to  come  quickly,  as  there  was  im- 
minent danger  somewhere.  Irish-like,  they  wanted 
to  argue  the  case,  for  they  saw  no  danger  and  be- 
sides they  were  having  a  really  good  time.  I  quick- 
ly told  them  to  come,  as  there  was  no  time  for 
argument.  I  knew  General  Spruit  well,  and  when 
he  says  "get  out  quickly,"  I  know  it  is  time  to  get 
out.  We  raced  down  the  kopje,  mounted  our 
horses  and  started  across  the  flat  towards  Brand- 
fort.  Much  to  our  surprise,  we  saw  all  the  hills 
about  Brandfort  literally  covered  with  English 
cavalry.  I  looked  for  the  Heidelburg  Commando 
and  found  that  it  must  have  retreated  hours  before, 
for  not  a  man  of  it  could  be  seen  in  any  direction. 
We  were  certainly  in  a  serious  position,  for  our 
line  of  retreat  was  cut  off  by  thousands  of  English, 
and  there  were  thousands  in  front  of  us.  To  get 
out  at  all,  we  had  to  march  across  an  open  flat  and 
pass  within  2,500  yards  of  the  English,  for  there 
was  only  one  pass  through  the  mountains  in  our 
rear.  We  crossed  the  flat  and,  having  reached  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  I  called  the  men  and  told 
them  that  it  looked  like  a  hopeless  case  for  us. 
There  really  was  not  the  slightest  show  for  us 

167 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

because  all  the  English  had  to  do  was  to  ride  down 
1,000  or  1,500  yards,  and  we  were  completely 
hemmed  in. 

I  always  swore  that  I  would  never  be  captured 
alive,  and  told  the  boys  so.  I  also  told  them  that 
I  was  going  to  make  a  run  for  the  road  that  leads 
through  the  pass,  and  asked  them  what  they  wished 
to  do.  They  said  they  would  make  the  run  with  me. 
We  started  at  once  in  single  file  along  a  path 
that  wound  its  way  through  the  bush.  This  led  us 
to  the  left  and  front  of  the  English.  Every  man 
had  his  eye  pinned  on  the  English,  and  a  dead 
silence  reigned.  I  was  terribly  worried  and  fright- 
ened  too,  for  I  fully  expected  to  see  the  English 
move  at  every  moment  and  interpose  themselves 
between  us  and  the  road.  On  we  rode  until  we 
were  right  in  front  of  them  and  about  2000  yards 
distant.  I  felt  a  little  better,  for  the  English  had 
not  yet  moved.  I  was  constantly  watching  the 
hills  on  my  left,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  see  a 
chance  of  climbing  them.  Fortune  favored  me, 
for  I  discovered  a  good  path  running  up  the  hills, 
and  I  concluded  that,  as  it  was  an  emergency,  we 
could  go  where  the  goats  had  gone,  and  so  turned 
to  the  left  on  to  this  tiny  little  path.  It  was  a  hard 
climb,  but  we  reached  safe  ground  on  top  just  as 
the  British  made  up  their  minds  to  take  us  in. 
They  were  too  late,  as  usual,  and  only  advanced  a 
small  distance,  when  they  turned  about  and  went 

168 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

back.  It  was  a  very  cold  day,  but  the  terrible  strain 
the  men  and  I  had  passed  through,  warmed 
all  of  us  into  a  heavy  perspiration.  It  was  General 
Hutton  who  kindly  allowed  us  to  escape.  He 
said  in  his  report  that  he  thought  we  had  some 
English  prisoners  with  us,  and  therefore  did  not 
dare  to  fire  on  us.  The  Chicago  and  Massachu- 
setts boys  had  on  khaki  uniforms,  and  that 
is  why  Hutton  was  deceived.  His  excuse 
was  a  poor  one,  just  the  same,  for  he  could  easily 
have  blocked  our  way  without  firing  a  shot,  and 
besides  any  ordinary  field  glass  at  his  distance 
would  have  shown  him  that  every  man  carried  a 
rifle.  We  owed  our  escape  entirely  to  British 
stupidity. 

As  no  Boers  could  be  seen  from  the  hills,  we 
made  up  our  minds  that  we  were  very  far  behind 
everybody.  As  it  was  now  nearly  sundown,  we 
started  out  to  put  a  few  miles  between  us  and  the 
British.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  camp  lately  occupied  by  the 
Heidelburg  Commando.  Here  we  found  coffee, 
sugar,  bread  and  meat,  and  as  we  had  had  nothing 
to  eat  all  day,  we  stopped  and  had  a  good  feast. 
Then  our  poor,  tired  horses  enjoyed  their  feast 
too,  and  it  gave  me  more  pleasure  to  see  them  at 
their  mealies  than  to  eat  myself. 

It  was  dark  before  we  saddled  up  and  started 
on  our  way  in  search  of  the  Boers.  Finally  we 

169 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

reached  the  main  road  and  near  by  was  a  stack  of 
oats  at  a  farm  house.  I  told  the  boys  to  help  them- 
selves, and  every  man  piled  on  his  horse  all  the 
oats  he  could  well  manage.  We  then  went  on  our 
way  until  we  reached  a  little  farm  in  the  open  flat 
that  I  knew  was  about  nine  miles  from  Brandfort, 
so  here  we  concluded  to  camp  for  the  night.  It 
was  about  ten  o'clock  when  a  courier  rode  into  camp 
looking  for  me.  He  pointed  out  the  direction  of 
General  de  la  Key's  camp  and  told  me  that  the 
General  wished  to  see  me  early  in  the  morning.  I 
was  anxious  to  see  the  General  too,  for  I  did  not 
like  the  idea  of  being  alone  in  front  of  Lord 
Robert's  army.  Early  on  the  following  morning  I 
took  two  men  and  started  in  search  of  General  de 
la  Rey.  My  directions  carried  me  obliquely 
towards  Brandfort  and  I  concluded  that  the 
General  must  have  camped  very  near  the  English. 
We  had  gone  about  a  mile  when  I  saw  seven  men 
dressed  as  the  Boers  usually  are,  riding  alongside 
a  hill  between  us  and  Brandfort.  The  two  African- 
der scouts  with  me  declared  they  were  Boers,  and 
I  declared  they  were  English  in  Boer  clothes.  The 
way  they  held  their  legs  and  their  position  in  the 
saddle  had  formed  my  opinion.  An  Englishman 
on  a  horse  always  reminds  me  of  a  wooden  clothes- 
pin. We  decided  to  go  ahead,  for  our  direction 
would  not  lead  us  into  trouble,  yet  I  did  a  lot  of 
thinking  about  those  seven  men,  for  there  was  a 

170 


GENERAL  DE  LA  KEY.     WHO  NEVER    LOST   A    BATTLE 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

very  deep  kloof  near  them,  and  the  whole  English 
army  could  be  easily  concealed  in  it.  We  had  gone 
about  another  mile  when  we  came  upon  one  of  Gen- 
eral de  la  Key's  men  on  the  look  out.  I  knew  him 
and  asked  him  if  he  had  seen  the  seven  men.  He  said 
no,  and  then  pointed  out  to  me  just  where  General 
de  la  Rey  was  encamped.  I  galloped  all  the  way, 
because  I  thought  there  was  danger  in  that  kloof. 
I  was  so  certain  that  I  told  Commandant  Trichardt, 
of  the  artillery,  that  the  English  were  near  at  hand, 
and  that  he  would  do  well  to  in  span  and  prepare 
for  business. 

I  did  not  get  to  see  General  de  la  Rey  because 
he  had  gone  to  see  his  brother  who  had  been 
seriously  wounded  the  previous  day.  I  must  say 
that  before  reaching  General  de  la  Rey's  camp 
I  sent  one  of  the  men  with  me,  Hendrik  Slegkamp, 
after  giving  him  my  wire-cutters,  back  to  the  Irish 
camp  with  instructions  to  saddle  up  as  quickly  as 
possible  and  fall  back  to  some  kopjes  about  two 
miles  in  the  rear.  All  the  farms  in  that  country 
are  entirely  surrounded  by  wire  fences  and  one 
can't  get  through  without  wire-cutters.  The  last 
I  saw  of  Hendrik,  he  was  going  at  a  full  gallop. 
After  chatting  with  Colonel  Trichardt  for  about 
fifteen  minutes,  he  ordered  all  mules  and  horses 
to  be  spanned  in  and  saddled  up,  and  then  we 
started  back  towards  my  own  camp.  Knowing 
the  exact  direction,  we  took  a  short  cut  and,  having 

171 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

reached  the  top  of  a  ridge  about  one  mile  from 
General  de  la  Key's  camp  and  about  two  miles 
from  my  own,  we  were  fired  upon  from  a  mealie 
field.  Across  the  flat  I  saw  the  Irish  boys  under 
fire  and  flying  to  the  kopjes  in  the  rear.  We 
could  not  get  through  the  wire  fences  because  I 
had  let  Hendrik  have  my  cutters,  and  the  English 
at  long  range  were  making  it  very  warm  for 
us.  There  was  a  little  cottage  about  400  yards 
away,  and  we  put  spurs  to  our  horses  and 
reached  it  as  quickly  as  possible.  A  little 
Dutch  woman  showed  us  a  sheep  path  which 
would  lead  us  to  the  small  gates  that  opened  from 
one  farm  to  the  other.  That  was  about  the  hottest 
path  that  we  ever  travelled,  for  the  English  had 
found  our  range  and  were  making  use  of  it.  My 
boy's  horse  was  slightly  wounded;  otherwise  we 
were  all  right.  I  saw  that  the  Irish  were  safe  on 
the  kopje,  but  we  could  not  get  to  them  on  account 
of  the  wire  fences.  Just  as  General  de  la  Key's 
men  had  saddled  up  and  all  were  ready  to  move, 
the  English  opened  fire  on  him,  but  he  managed 
to  get  his  guns,  wagons  and  everything  out  safely. 
The  whole  country  seemed  to  be  alive  with  English, 
and  they  all  came  out  of  that  deep  kloof  where  I 
had  seen  the  seven  men.  I  felt  it  in  my  very 
bones  that  the  English  were  in  that  kloof,  and 
acted  accordingly.  It  was  a  lucky  thing  for  all  of 
us  that  I  did. 

172 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

During  the  evening  I  reached  the  Irish  boys, 
and  we  crossed  the  Vet  River  and  went  into  camp. 
Early  next  morning  we  met  General  de  la  Rey  and 
his  men,  and  there  was  general  rejoicing.  The 
general  said  he  was  going  to  give  fight  on  the 
river,  and  put  Roberts  to  a  little  trouble.  With 
the  Irish,  he  had  about  2,500  men  to  fight  Roberts 
and  his  90,000. 

The  position  was  a  good  one,  but  of  course  the 
general  knew  that  he  could  do  no  more  than  make 
the  English  do  a  lot  of  work,  and  possibly  knock  a 
few  of  them  down  before  he  had  to  retreat.  Roberts 
finally  showed  up,  and  the  deployment  of  that  great 
body  of  men  into  fighting  formation,  with  absolute 
mathematical  precision,  was  really  beautiful.  I  was 
so  interested  that  I  could  scarcely  take  my  eyes 
from  such  beautiful  military  figures.  That  awful 
man,  that  brave  man,  that  gallant  man,  Major  J.  L. 
Pretorius,  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  the  beautiful 
at  all,  for  just  before  the  military  figure  was  com- 
pleted in  all  its  beauty,  he  fired  a  shell  that  fell 
right  among  them.  That  shell  simply  played  the 
deuce  and  ruined  a  most  artistic  picture.  Instead 
of  order,  precision  and  beauty,  we  now  had  to  wit- 
ness disorder  and  pandemonium  generally,  for  the 
English  soldiers  broke  away,  some  running  one  way 
and  some  another,  not  one  seeming  in  the  least  in- 
clined  to  take  a  chance  on  the  next  shell  that  might 
follow.  It  was  marvellous  what  havoc  one  tiny 

173 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

shell  could  raise  in  a  military-trained  and  thor- 
oughly disciplined  army.  Major  Pretorius  was 
nothing  but  a  youngster,  but  then  there  was  noth- 
ing in  the  British  army  that  was  anywhere  near  his 
equal.  For  a  change,  and  as  the  Irish  boys  were 
the  latest  arrivals,  General  de  la  Rey  said  he 
would  hold  us  as  reserves.  Major  Pretorius  started 
the  fight  with  that  shell,  and  soon  30,000  English 
with  cannon  and  shell  were  trying  to  lay  low  Gen- 
eral de  la  Rey  and  2,500  patriots.  When  the  fighting 
became  really  hot  and  close,  the  reserve,  the  Irish 
boys,  were  sent  for  and  told  to  come  as  quickly  as 
possible  to  the  road  crossing  the  river.  We  went, 
but  to  go  into  the  firing  line  we  had  to  pass  through 
the  belt  especially  shelled  by  the  English  guns. 
The  boys  did  not  murmur;  they  went  out.  Strange 
to  say,  not  one  of  them  received  a  bullet.  Now, 
they  had  a  close  range,  and  didn't  they  send  the 
bullets  to  the  right  place?  I  think  they  did,  and  I 
know  they  did.  There  were  a  lot  of  British  to  our 
right  and  front  hi  a  kopje  about  1,000  yards 
distant.  I  think  they  were  Irish,  for  the  English 
turned  their  maxims  on  them,  killed  many  of  them 
and  kept  them  from  firing  on  us.  We  did  not  fire 
on  them  because  the  English  were  doing  the  work 
for  us. 

That  was  really  a  pretty  fight  in  which  the 
Boers  did  not  suffer,  and  about  sundown  General 
de  la  Rey  ordered  us  to  fall  back.  The  Irish 

174 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

boys  kept  firing  away  until  it  was  fairly  dark,  and 
I  became  frightened  for  fear  they  might  be  cap- 
tured. The  Boers  had  all  left,  and  had  those  fool 
Englishmen  known  anything,  they  might  have 
given  us  a  run  for  our  lives.  We  remained  in  or- 
der to  see  out  of  danger  a  few  young  Boers  who 
were  in  an  arroya  very  close  to  the  English. 
When  we  did  finally  go  back,  mount  our  horses 
and  start  towards  Sinaldeel,  we  ran  into  the  very 
boys  that  we  had  assisted  to  get  out  of  the  arroya, 
and  by  a  mere  piece  of  luck  they  didn't  fire  on  us. 
I  was  calling  to  the  men  to  hurry  up  and  my  voice 
was  recognized,  otherwise  we  would  have  re- 
ceived a  volley.  I  had  a  very  excellent  pair  of 
field  glasses  given  to  me  by  a  Russian  Count  and  I 
made  good  use  of  them  when  the  English  were 
arriving  to  engage  us.  In  Natal,  the  Transvaal 
and  the  Free  State,  from  the  day  the  war  first  be- 
gan, I  had  tried  to  convince  the  Boers  of  the  great 
importance  of  destroying  the  enemy's  line  of  com- 
munication. I  never  suceeded  in  making  any 
headway,  however,  for  they  could  not  be  made  to 
believe  in  the  destruction  of  property.  Here  at 
Vet  River  I  handed  General  de  la  Rey  my  glasses 
and  told  him  to  witness  the  trains  on  the  opposite 
ridge  from  which  thousands  of  infantry  were 
tumbling  to  give  us  battle.  The  general  realized 
now  for  the  first  time  the  strength  of  my  argument, 
and  was  thereafter  bent  on  destroying  the  railway 

175 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

lines.  He  suceeded  in  partially  convincing 
General  Louis  Botha  that  the  destruction  of  the 
lines  was  of  the  first  importance.  Volunteers  for 
the  purpose  were  called  for,  and  it  was  the  Irish 
Brigade  that  promptly  responded.  In  fact,  I  be- 
lieve that  the  men  of  the  Irish  Brigade  were  the 
only  ones  that  did,  and  I  believe  that  they  were 
the  only  ones  among  the  Boers  that  understood 
the  business.  It  having  been  decided  by  the 
Council  of  War  that  the  bridges  and  railway  lines 
were  to  be  destroyed,  I  selected  the  men  that  I 
knew  would  do  the  work  well.  There  were  little 
Mike  Halley,  the  ever  to  be  remembered  Joe 
Wade,  Jim  O'Keefe,  Dick  Barry,  Tom  Herlihy, 
Tom  Tierney,  and  several  others  whom  I  selected 
for  this  most  important  work. 

In  blowing  up  the  long  and  high  bridge  at  Sand 
River,  the  Irish  boys  were  exposed  both  to  cannon 
and  rifle  fire,  but  not  one  flinched  and  their  work 
was  well  done.  It  was  while  some  Anglo-American 
engineers  were  trying  to  repair  this  bridge,  that 
Majors  Seymour  and  Clements,  (both  Americans) 
were  killed  by  General  De  Wet  and  his  men.  I 
am  sure  that  neither  I  nor  the  Irish  boys  would 
have  shed  a  tear  had  the  whole  lot  been  killed.  All 
were  mercenaries  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word, 
and  this  class  of  men  are  not  fit  to  live  in  any 
country. 

Here  I  must  mention  a  little  incident  in  which 

176 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

Mike  Halley  was  the  principal  actor.  At  the  time 
that  the  bridges  and  railways  had  been  blown  up  in 
good  form  and  we  had  crossed  Sand  River  and 
arrived  at  Riet  Spruit  very  near  the  Sand  River, 
General  Botha  had  sent  for  Sergeant  Joe  Wade, 
Mike  Halley  and  Dick  Barry  to  give  them  further 
instructions.  Strange  to  say,  General  Botha  al- 
ways waited  until  the  last  moment,  in  fact,  to  the 
moment  when  it  was  too  late  to  do  good  work. 
The  boys  were  always  on  the  alert  and  sometimes 
acted  without  orders,  blew  up  the  bridges  accord- 
ing to  my  instructions  and  felt  much  satisfaction. 
Now,  when  they  were  called  up,  General  de  la  Rey 
happened  to  meet  Mike  Halley  and  bounced  on  him 
for  too  much  enthusiasm.  Mike  did  not  know  the 
general,  and  thinking  he  was  an  ordinary  Boer, 
said  "What  in  hell  do  you  know  about  it,  any- 
how?" This  settled  the  general  and  he  replied, 
"Go  ahead.  You  know  your  business,  my  boy." 

When  Mike  was  informed  that  he  was  address- 
ing General  de  la  Rey,  he  promptly  went  to  him 
to  offer  his  apology. 

The  boys  were  now  given  full  swing  and  rails, 
ties  and  bridges  were  constantly  flying  in  the  air 
till  we  reached  the  Vaal  River,  the  Transvaal  border, 
where  orders  were  received  from  General  Louis 
Botha  to  destroy  nothing  more.  What  a  puerile  dis- 
play of  military  knowledge!  Lord  Roberts  moved 
along  this  long  line  across  the  flats  of  the  Free  State. 

177 


A  West  Pointer  with,  the  Boers 

He  had  three  columns,  each  30,000  strong.  One  fol- 
lowed the  road  along  the  railway  line  and  the  other 
two  were  on  the  right  and  left  flanks.  There  were 
not  over  2,500  Boers  and  three  or  four  cannon  to 
oppose  him  on  these  wide  open  flats,  yet  it  took 
him  twenty-three  days  to  drive  that  little  band 
of  patriots  a  distance  of  110  miles,  and  every  foot 
of  the  distance  was  hotly  contested. 

When  we  reached  Kroonstad  all  were  very  tired, 
but  the  Irish  boys  wished  to  do  some  more  work 
before  they  left  the  town.  The  English,  of  course, 
were  at  our  heels,  but  that  did  not  concern  them 
in  the  least.  We  rigged  up  a  spring  wagon  with 
six  mules,  loaded  it  with  provisions  and  ammuni- 
tion and  were  ready  to  move  out  just  after  blowing 
up  the  bridge  and  thoroughly  alarming  the  town, 
when  it  suddenly  occurred  to  Mick  Ryan  to  destroy 
the  provision  depot.  It  was  an  immense  building 
filled  with  sufficient  supplies  to  support  an  ordinary 
army  for  many  days.  I  told  Mick  to  go  ahead  and 
do  his  work  well.  He  built  a  good  fire  against 
the  building,  and  some  Englishmen  came  up  with 
water  and  put  it  out.  Mick  then  warned  them  not 
to  try  to  do  it  again.  He  kindled  another  fire,  and 
when  it  blazed  up,  one  of  the  same  Englishmen 
dashed  up  with  a  bucket  of  water  and  put  it  out. 
Mick  struck  him  on  the  head  with  his  rule,  knocked 
him  senseless  and  then  warned  the  others  that  if  any 
attempt  was  made  to  put  out  his  fire  again  he 

178 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

would  give  them  some  bullets.  He  made  up  his 
fire  again,  and  this  time  no  one  disturbed  it.  When 
the  building  was  well  on  fire,  some  one  yelled  out 
that  there  were  several  cases  of  dynamite  near  the 
burning  part  of  the  building.  Everybody  fled  for 
their  lives,  and  Mick  saw  that  immense  supply  depot 
burn  to  the  ground.  It  was  about  eleven  o'clock 
at  night,  and  the  great  light  was  plainly  visible  to 
Lord  Roberts  and  his  army  who  were  about  three 
miles  distant.  The  English  are  not  yet  through 
damning  the  Irish  Brigade  for  their  good  piece 
of  work. 

The  main  part  of  the  brigade  went  forward  with 
the  cannon,  and  it  was  just  thirty  of  us  that  re- 
mained behind  to  finish  up  the  good  work. 

After  the  supply  depot  was  burned  we  left  town 
and  camped  about  three  miles  out  on  the  Heilbroii 
road.  We  had  learned  that  the  English  had  put 
themselves  between  us  and  the  Boer  forces,  so  we 
had  to  take  this  route.  Early  next  morning  we 
were  just  ready  to  move  out  when  we  saw  about 
400  cavalry  coming  for  us.  We  hastened  off  and 
kept  ourselves  in  safety  although  the  English  pur- 
sued us  as  rapidly  as  they  dared.  They  did  not  give 
up  the  chase  until  we  were  near  the  little  town  of 
Heilbron. 

Here  we  met  President  Steyn,  and  Judge 
Hertzog,  and  I  can  remember  that  the  only  subject 
discussed  was  the  importance  of  playing  on  Lord 

179 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Roberts'  line  of  communication.  I  finally  con- 
vinced them  that  it  was  the  only  way  they  could 
successfully  fight  such  an  immense  army,  and 
President  Steyn  telegraphed  President  Kruger  for 
permission  for  the  Irish  Brigade  to  remain  in  the 
Free  State.  President  Kruger  wanted  us  in  the 
Transvaal,  so  we  said  good-bye,  and  left  for  Rhen- 
oster  River  at  the  railway  crossing,  where  we 
learned  that  the  Boers  had  taken  up  positions. 
General  De  Wet,  however,  went  to  work  on 
Roberts'  communications,  and  soon  established 
for  himself  the  greatest  name  of  all  the  Boer 
officers  in  the  field.  Had  we  done  in  the  Trans- 
vaal what  De  Wet  did  in  the  Free  State,  Roberts 
would  have  been  driven  into  famine,  and  utterly 
disgraced  himself  in  the  eyes  of  the  world;  but 
this  is  not  the  place  to  explain,  so  we  will  wait 
until  we  reach  Pretoria.  We  left  Heilbron  early 
in  the  morning,  and  at  night  we  were  with  Gen- 
eral Botha  and  the  Boer  forces.  We  now  learned 
that  General  Botha  had  officially  reported  us  as 
captured  in  Kroonstad  and  he  was  very  much  sur- 
prised when  I  reported  to  him.  Having  told  him 
what  we  had  done  in  Kroonstad,  and  assured  him 
that  we  had  not  been  in  any  real  danger,  he  in- 
structed me  to  take  position  at  the  road  crossing, 
on  the  river.  These  road  crossings  of  rivers  are 
always  the  warmest  places  when  it  comes  to  a 
fight,  and  as  the  English  were  then  near  at  hand, 

180 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

I  fully  expected  on  the  following  day  to  have  a 
most  interesting  time.  On  reaching  our  position, 
and  having  taken  a  good  look  at  it,  I  was  then 
convinced  that  the  English  would  not  attack,  but 
would  go  around  our  flanks.  I  told  General 
Botha  that  he  would  find  that  I  was  right,  because 
this  Rhenoster  River  is  the  best  defensive  position 
I  had  seen  in  the  country.  The  banks  were  very 
deep  and  steep,  and  the  river  bed  was  caked  sand, 
over  which  flowed  a  skim  of  water.  We  could 
gallop  our  horses  for  miles  in  that  river  without 
being  seen  or  in  any  way  exposed  to  artillery  fire. 
To  attack  the  position,  the  English  would  have  to 
advance  over  a  grassy  plain,  gently  sloping  to  the 
river,  and  2,500  Boers  in  the  river  could  easily 
have  killed  as  many  English  without  taking  any 
risk  whatever.  I  was  certain  that  the  English 
knew  all  about  the  strength  of  this  river  position 
and  would  therefore  dodge  it.  It  was  about  three 
o'clock  on  the  following  morning  when  we  received 
orders  to  retreat,  as  the  English  had  crossed  the 
river  on  our  left  and  right  flanks.  As  it  was  very 
dark,  we  concluded  to  wait  until  daylight  before 
retreating.  Just  as  it  was  good  light  we  moved 
away,  and  an  English  battery  on  a  ridge  some 
2,500  yards  distant,  sent  three  shells  at  us,  to 
move  us  along  more  lively.  There  was  no  more 
fighting  of  any  consequence  until  we  reached  Klip 
River,  near  Johannesburg.  The  little  band  of 

181 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

patriots  were  always  in  touch  with  the  big  English 
army,  and  occasionally,  some  shots  would  be  ex- 
changed near  the  bridges  which  the  Irish  boys 
were  charging  with  dynamite,  but  no  damage  was 
done.  I  didn't  understand  then,  nor  do  I  under- 
stand now,  why  that  great  British  army  did  not  at 
least  make  an  effort  to  capture  that  small  band  of 
Boers  and  all  their  cannon,  while  crossing  the 
great  open  plain  between  Brandford  and  the  Vaal 
River.  For  the  operations  of  cavalry  and  artillery, 
there  is  no  country  in  the  world  more  favorable 
than  those  immense  Free  State  prairies,  and  had 
Roberts  made  any  use  of  his  thousands  of  cavalry, 
he  could  have  taken  the  Boer  guns  at  any  time, 
and  the  2,500  Boers  with  them.  He  seemed 
frightened,  and  I  believe  he  was,  for  he  had  not 
yet  forgotten  the  slaughter  at  Magersfontein.  We 
could  never  understand,  either,  why  he  followed 
the  small  Boer  force,  and  left  behind  that  daring 
man,  General  Christian  De  Wet,  with  10,000  men. 
But  more  about  this  after  we  reach  Pretoria.  To 
the  south  of  Johannesburg,  General  Botha  had 
some  short  but  lively  fighting,  and  forced  the  Eng- 
lish to  move  around  to  the  west,  where  General  de 
la  Rey  warmed  them  up  hi  good  form. 

The  English  also  came  in  on  the  east,  where 
there  was  a  little  skirmishing  that  did  not  amount- 
to  anything.  We  passed  through  Johannesburg, 
and  went  to  within  six  miles  of  Pretoria.  The 

182 


Paying  an  Instalment  on  the  Irish  Debt 

Boers  and  British  were  actually  camped  side  by 
side  just  north  of  Johannesburg,  but  the  Boers 
were  the  first  to  find  this  out  at  daylight  and  so 
managed  to  escape  being  captured.  General  Botha 
is  a  pretty  reckless  man,  and  he  did  not  get  out 
any  too  quickly. 

I  urged  the  council  of  war  at  Vaal  River  to 
allow  me  to  blow  up  certain  mines  in  Johannes- 
burg, but  it  was  no  use  talking,  not  one  of  them 
would  agree  to  it.  They  did  not  believe  in  the  de- 
struction of  property.  It  was  the  mines  of  the 
very  men  who,  with  Chamberlain,  Milner  and 
Rhodes,  had  labored  so  hard  to  bring  on  the  war, 
that  I  was  so  anxious  to  blow  up,  and  I  regret  to 
this  day  that  we  did  not  destroy  them.  All  the 
immense  stores  of  provisions  in  Johannesburg  and 
Pretoria  I  wished  so  badly  to  destroy,  that  I  fairly 
begged  for  permission  to  do  it,  but  all  in  vain. 
With  De  Wet  and  10,000  men  behind  Roberts, 
and  on  his  line  of  communications,  and  all  provi- 
sions in  Johannesburg  and  Pretoria  destroyed,  Lord 
Roberts  would  have  been  a  defeated  man,  for  the 
reason  that  he  had  no  food  for  his  army.  As  it 
was,  his  men  came  nearly  starving  to  death  on  half 
rations.  I  can  never  forgive  the  Boer  generals  for 
leaving  such  quantities  of  good  supplies  for  the 
British.  The  railway  and  telegraph  lines  between 
the  Vaal  River  and  Pretoria  should  have  been 
completely  destroyed,  yet  General  Botha  gave  me 

183 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

strict  orders  not  to  disturb  either.  We  were 
simply  playing  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  and 
doing  more  for  them  than  they  could  possibly  do 
for  themselves.  On  the  fifth  of  June  we  had  to 
leave  Pretoria,  and,  strange  to  say,  we  left  the 
Pietersburg  and  Delagoa  railway  lines,  all  in  good 
order  with  plenty  of  engines  and  cars  for  immedi- 
ate use  by  the  English.  Why  General  Botha  in- 
sisted on  leaving  all  these  lines  intact,  and  well 
equipped  for  the  English,  I  cannot  understand. 
There  was  not  a  burgher  in  the  field,  that  did  not 
realize  that  the  destruction  of  all  railway  facilities 
was  a  matter  of  grave  importance.  Much  as  I  ad- 
mire General  Botha,  not  only  as  a  brave  man,  but 
as  a  first-class  fighter  and  an  able  general,  I  must 
condemn  him  for  his  opposition  to  the  destruction 
of  the  enemy's  communications,  and  for  his  failure 
to  destroy  the  enemy's  supply  stores.  General  De 
Wet  had  done  his  work  so  well  that  General 
Roberts  was  cut  off  from  all  communications  with 
the  Colony,  and  there  was  no  food  to  be  had  in  the 
country,  except  in  the  Boer  supply  stores. 


184 


KQOTIE  HEYSTEK,  A  BOER  BELLE,  OF  PRETORIA 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LOUD  ROBERTS  BREAKS  HIS  PLEDGE  MADE  IN  PRO- 
CLAMATION— BOERS  IN  GREAT   DISORDER    ON 

LEAVING      PRETORIA  MAKE      GRAND 

STAND      AT       DONKERHOEK GEN- 
ERAL    BULLER      ARRIVES      IN 

TRANSVAAL BATTLE    OF 

DALMANUTHA. 

After  the  occupation  of  Pretoria,  Lord  Roberts 
issued  his  usual  proclamation,  to  induce  the  bur- 
ghers to  lay  down  their  arms.  They  were  not 
to  be  sent  away,  their  property  was  not  to  be 
molested,  and  they  were  to  be  allowed  to  peacefully 
occupy  their  farms.  Thousands  of  the  burghers, 
really  believing  that  the  war  was  over,  took  advan- 
tage of  this  proclamation  and  surrendered  their 
rifles.  Almost  the  entire  Rustenburg  district  sur- 
rendered, and  hundreds  of  men  of  the  other  dis- 
tricts did  likewise. 

As  in  the  Free  State,  so  in  the  Transvaal,  as 
soon  as  Lord  Roberts  had  the  men  and  the  guns 
in  his  possession,  he  at  once  violated  his  pledge, 
sent  the  men  away,  and  afterwards  destroyed  all 
their  property.  The  reason  that  the  Boers  did  not 
make  a  stand  at  Pretoria,  was  that  every  shell  the 
English  might  fire  would  land  in  the  town,  and 

185 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

kill  women  and  children.  Of  course,  this  would 
please  the  English  immensely,  but  the  Boers  never 
gave  them  the  chance.  As  it  was,  they  fired  a 
few  shells  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and 
wounded  three  Boer  women.  The  English  are 
bent  on  killing  women,  because  they  know  that, 
so  long  as  they  are  in  the  land,  the  Union  Jack 
trembles  with  fear  as  it  floats  above  them. 

The  Boers  were  in  the  greatest  disorder  when 
leaving  Pretoria.  There  seemed  to  be  no  head, 
and  burghers  were  going  in  all  directions,  north, 
east,  south  and  west.  General  Botha  ordered  as 
many  as  he  could  reach,  to  proceed  on  the  Delagoa 
railway  line  toward  Middleburg.  The  English 
now  made  up  their  minds  that  there  was  no  more 
fight  in  the  Boers,  and  that  the  time  was  ripe  to 
make  a  gallant  display  of  dash  and  bravery  on  the 
fast  retreating  Boers.  All  titled  persons  of  noble 
blood,  were  anxious  to  fill  the  London  press  with 
long  accounts  of  their  brave  exploits,  and  Lord 
Roberts  himself  was  not  behind  them  in  his  desire 
for  praise.  The  result  was,  that  a  large  force  was 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  Boers,  with  Lord  Roberts 
in  command.  The  fleeing  Boers,  on  reaching 
Donkerhoek,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Pretoria, 
were  assembled  by  General  Botha  and  General  de 
la  Rey,  and  all  agreed  not  to  run  any  further. 
There  were  about  7,000  of  them,  and  they  took  up 
a  position  on  a  line  about  twenty  miles  long.  It 

186 


Lord  Roberts  Breaks  his  Pledge 

was  on  the  12th  of  June,  that  the  British  army, 
and  the  lords,  dukes,  earls  and  so  forth,  appeared 
on  the  scene,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  wipe  out 
what  was  left  of  the  Boer  forces.  A  very  hot  fight 
was  the  result,  and  the  Boers  wiped  up  the  Eng- 
lish, and  gave  them  such  a  shock  that  they  did  not 
recover  their  nerve  for  months.  Go  to  the  grave- 
yard in  Pretoria,  read  some  of  the  inscriptions  on 
the  head-boards,  and  you  will  find  some  missing 
earls,  dukes  and  soforth,  accounted  for.  Lord 
.  Roberts  turned  tail  also  and  went  back  to  Pretoria, 
to  get  out  some  more  proclamations.  He  is  a 
wonderful  general,  on  paper,  but  on  the  battle 
field  he  is  a  pitiful  failure. 

After  this  fight,  General  de  la  Rey,  with  1,500 
men,  went  to  the  Rustenburg  district  west  of  Pre- 
toria, where  all  the  burghers  had  laid  down  their 
arms.  Lord  Roberts  had  not  had  time  yet  to  vio- 
late his  pledge,  so  the  men  were  still  on  their 
farms.  General  Botha  now  made  Commandant 
Ben  Viljoen  a  fighting  general,  and  he  proved  a 
most  excellent  man.  The  Boers  regained  hope, 
and  were  as  full  of  fight  as  ever.  From  Donker- 
hoek  to  Machadadorp  is  about  110  miles,  a  long 
stretch  of  beautiful,  rolling  prairie,  well  watered, 
dotted  here  and  there  with  beautiful  farms,  and  in 
all  respects  suited  for  cavalry,  infantry  and  artil- 
lery to  display  great  skill  and  excellent,  work. 
General  Botha  is  a  nervy  man,  and  he  determined 

187 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

to  contest  every  inch  of  ground  to  Machadadorp, 
and  make  it  cost  the  English  much  time  and  many 
men  to  cross  the  fair  prairie.  Every  day  General 
Botha  and  his  small  force  fought  the  English 
army,  and  in  all  the  engagements  he  was  generally 
successful,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  required 
sixty  days  to  drive  him  back  to  Dalmanutha,  nine 
miles  from  Machadadorp.  Here  he  took  up  a  pos- 
ition to  make  a  firm  stand.  He  had  to  scatter  his 
men  along  a  line  about  twenty-four  miles  long,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  English  from  turning  his 
flanks.  I  think  the  position  at  Machadadorp  was 
much  better  and  stronger,  but  he  did  not  think  so. 
I  believe  now,  however,  if  he  had  the  opportunity 
again,  he  would  try  his  luck  at  Machadadorp,  for 
his  line  would  not  be  over  ten  miles  long,  his 
flanks  would  be  safe,  and  in  case  of  defeat,  he 
could  retreat  in  good  order. 

I  left  General  Buller  and  his  army  at  Lady- 
smith  on  February  28th.  Now  he  appears  on  the 
scene  again.  He  had  a  most  difficult  task  to  fight 
his  way  through  the  mountains  of  Natal  and  cross 
into  the  Transvaal,  but  at  last  he  had  succeeded, 
and  was  on  his  way  to  join  the  army  opposed  to 
General  Botha.  It  was  about  the  middle  of  August 
that  General  Buller  arrived.  The  entire  British 
force  now  to  attack  the  Boer  forces  was  about 
65,000  strong,  while  General  Botha  had  less  than 
7,000  men.  He  did  not  have  hills  and  mountains, 

188 


Lord  Roberts  Breaks  his  Pledge 

as  in  Natal,  but,  instead,  open,  rolling  prairies.  It 
looked  as  if  the  English  would  ride  right  over  us 
and  kill  or  capture  our  whole  force,  but  they 
didn't.  Lord  Roberts  sent  about  600  women  and 
children  in  open  coal  trucks  to  Belfast  when  it 
was  midwinter  and  so  cold  that  no  one  could  keep 
warm.  He  did  this,  thinking  that  the  Boers,  rather 
than  see  their  women  and  children  suffer,  and 
probably  die,  would  come  in  and  surrender.  He 
was  fooled,  however,  for  General  Botha  put  them 
all  on  the  train  and  sent  them  to  Barber  ton,  where 
it  was  warm  and  where  all  had  friends.  Lord 
Roberts  likes  to  fight  women  and  children  and 
takes  as  much  pleasure  in  seeing  them  suffer  as  does 
Lord  Kitchener.  After  General  Buller  arrived 
and  took  command,  there  was  fighting  daily  on  some 
part  of  the  line  for  nine  days  before  the  final  effort 
was  made  on  the  27th  of  August.  In  the  centre 
of  our  line  were  seventy-two  of  the  Johannesburg 
police,  who  were  on  the  ridge  between  Belfast  and 
Dalmanutha.  They  had  built  for  themselves  stone 
breastworks  about  two  feet  high,  but  a  shell  would 
easily  destroy  any  of  them. 

On  the  night  of  the  26th,  General  Buller 
changed  his  plans  and  concentrated  his  force  on 
the  centre,  instead  of  on  our  left  flank,  and  at  six 
o'clock  of  the  morning  of  the  27th  he  began  with 
thirty-six  guns  to  bombard  the  seventy-two  Johan- 
nesburg police.  As  the  railway  line  had  been  left 

189 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

in  good  order  by  General  Botha's  instructions,  two 
huge  siege  guns  came  up  on  some  flat  cars.  When 
they  were  fired,  the  whole  earth  seemed  to  tremble 
and  the  explosion  of  the  shell  was  fairly  deafening, 
yet  they  did  no  damage.  I  could  see  every  one 
of  the  seventy-two  police  plainly,  for  I  was  with  a 
Long  Tom  on  a  high  point  to  then-  left.  For 
seven  hours  without  intermission,  heavy  lyddite 
shells  were  bursting  on  the  ground  about  them  and 
a  dozen  or  so  schrapnel  were  bursting  over  their 
heads  at  the  same  time.  When  at  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  saw  a  long  line  of 
cavalry  put  in  readiness  to  charge  their  position, 
I  felt  sure  that  there  was  not  one  of  them  alive,  for 
it  did  not  seem  possible  for  them  with  their  little 
protection  to  escape. 

Suddenly  all  the  cannon  ceased  to  roar  and  a 
dead  stillness  reigned  for  a  moment,  but  only  for  a 
moment,  for  here  comes  the  long  line  of  cavalry  at 
full  gallop.  It  rapidly  approaches  and  when  with- 
in about  100  yards  of  the  police  there  was  a  ring 
of  musketry  heard  that"  positively  filled  me  with  an 
ecstacy  of  joy.  The  police  were  still  alive,  and 
with  such  rapidity  did  they  use  their  rifles,  and  to 
such  good  effect,  that  saddles  were  emptied  fast, 
and  loose  horses  were  running  frantically  across 
the  veldt,  some  dragging  wounded  men  whose  feet 
were  caught  hi  the  stirrups.  They  could  not  stand 
such  a  deadly  fire,  and  turned  and  fled  back,  the 

190 


Lord  Roberts  Breaks  his  Pledge 

police  continuing  to  mow  them  down.  They  form 
line,  are  re-enforced,  and  again  they  charge,  only  to 
be  driven  back  as  before  after  a  heavy  loss.  Four 
charges  were  made,  and  four  times  the  charges 
were  driven  back,  and  no  doubt  a  fifth  charge 
would  have  followed  had  General  Botha  not  or- 
dered the  police  to  retire.  These  brave  men  re- 
tired as  coolly  as  they  had  passed  through  the  seven 
hours'  shell  storm,  and  four  times  driven  back  that 
long  line  of  cavalry. 

Of  the  seventy-two  men,  nineteen  were  killed 
and  wounded,  among  the  killed  being  three  officers. 

Lord  Roberts,  who  arrived  at  twenty  minutes  to 
one  o'clock,  according  to  his  own  report,  pronounced 
this  the  severest  bombardment  of  the  war,  and 
could  not  understand  why  the  whole  Boer  force 
was  not  annihilated.  Of  course,  Lord  Roberts 
came  up  just  as  the  battle  was  over,  to  save  Gen- 
eral Buller  the  trouble  of  making  his  report  an- 
nouncing a  victory.  There  is  no  getting  round 
the  fact  that  Roberts  is  cute  and  smart  and  knows 
how  to  use  the  pen  and  steal  the  credit  that  be- 
longs to  others.  He  certainly  deserves  the  title  of 
Lord,  or  Earl,  or  any  big-sounding  name  like  that, 
with  at  leaist  double  the  number  of  letters  in  the 
alphabet  following  it  as  a  tail,  for  he  has  the  gall 
to  keep  his  title  up  to  the  high-water  mark.  Gen- 
eral Botha  having  ordered  a  retreat,  of  course  Lord 
Roberts  hastened  back  to  Pretoria  to  issue  another 

191 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

proclamation.  He  didn't  say  very  much  this 
time,  for  he  was  very  tired  sending  cablegrams 
telling  of  his  great  victory,  but  he  still  had 
strength  enough  to  proclaim  the  war  at  an  end, 
annex  the  Transvaal  to  the  British  Empire,  en- 
treat the  burghers  to  come  in  like  good  boys  and 
lay  down  their  arms,  and  forget  his  many  dastardly 
deeds. 

It  was  during  this  battle  that  that  wonderful 
artillerist,  Major  J.  L.  Pretorius  put  Long  Tom  to 
the  test  that  I  had  so  strongly  advocated  at  Lady- 
smith  and  other  places.  The  Boer  officers  were 
all  convinced  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  fire 
Long  Tom  except  when  fastened  down  to  a  heavy 
wooden  platform.  To  build  these  platforms  to 
stand  the  work  a  great  deal  of  labor,  at  least 
twenty-four  hours  of  time,  and  a  great  deal  of 
strong  material  were  required.  My  contention  was 
that  Long  Tom  could  be  used  as  an  ordinary  field 
gun,  and  would  do  good  work  without  a  platform 
as  well  as  with  one.  To  have  so  used  this  big  gun 
at  Ladysmith  would  have  kept  the  British  guessing, 
and  the  results  would  have  been  very  different. 
At  Dalmanutha,  Major  Pretorius  did  not  have 
time  to  finish  the  platform,  so  he  took  the  chances 
of  firing  Long  Tom  as  he  stood  without  one,  and 
the  result  was  excellent.  He  found  his  shooting 
was  just  as  accurate,  and  that  the  recoil  was  never 
more  than  two  or  three  yards.  Thereafter  Long 

192 


Lord  Roberts  Breaks  his  Pledge 

Tom  was  always  used  as  an  ordinary  field  gun, 
and  Major  Pretorius  took  him  over  the  mountains 
by  Lydenburg.  With  the  exception  of  about 
twenty  men,  the  Irish  boys  were  all  dismount- 
ed, having  lost  their  horses  near  Pretoria. 
They  were  in  position  under  Commandant  Kruger, 
and  when  the  English  broke  through  our  centre  it 
looked  as  though  they  would  be  captured.  They 
had  to  make  about  ten  miles  to  reach  Machadadorp, 
where  they  could  take  the  train,  and  they  barely 
made  connection  before  the  English  arrived.  The 
Boers  scattered  in  all  directions,  some  going 
towards  Lydenburg,  some  to  Neil  Spruit,  some 
to  Devil's  Kantoor,  and  others  southward  towards 
Ermelo  and  Carolina.  President  Kruger  and  the 
Government  were  at  Nell  Spruit. 


193 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DARK  PERIOD  OF  THE  WAR — PRESIDENT   KRUGER 

FORCED  TO  LEAVE  FOR  HOLLAND — LORD  ROBERTS' 

ATTEMPTED    ATTACK   ON   BOER   WOMEN   AND 

CHILDREN — LONG     TREK    THROUGH    BUSH 

VELDT — ENGLISH  FORTIFY — BATTLE   OF 

RHINOSTER  KOP — KITCHENER  ORDERS 

ALL  FARMS    DESTROYED — ENGLISH 

SAVAGERY 

We  now  arrive  at  what  I  call  the  dark  period  of 
the  war.  For  the  first  time  I  really  felt  that  our 
situation  was  serious.  The  Boers  were  discouraged 
in  spirit  and  much  scattered,  and  several  hundred 
of  them  deliberately  rode  into  the  English  lines  and 
surrendered.  At  one  time  it  looked  as  if  there  would 
be  a  general  surrender,  but  President  Kruger  was 
firm  and  said  the  war  must  go  on. 

President  Steyn  had  arrived  from  the  Free  State. 
He,  together  with  all  the  Transvaal  officers  and 
officials,  concentrated  their  influence  on  President 
Kruger  to  persuade  him  to  go  to  Holland,  as  he 
was  very  feeble  and  it  required  so  many  men  to 
guard  his  safety.  He  positively  refused  to  go, 
saying  that  he  could  not  leave  his  people  and  that 
he  would  look  after  himself.  His  idea  was  to  go 
to  Pilgrims'  Rest,  but  that  little^town  was  far  away 

194 


MISS  ANNIE  OLLIVIER  OF  PRETORIA 
A  Typical  Boer  Girl 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

and  it  required  many  days  of  hard  travel  through 
the  fever  stricken  bush-veldt  to  reach  it.  In  the 
end  President  Kruger  was  practically  forced  to 
take  the  train  for  Delagoa  Bay  en  route  to  Holland, 
and  as  the  train  moved  off  the  staunch  old  patriot's 
eyes  filled  with  tears  and  he  sank  down  broken 
hearted.  He  handed  to  General  Botha  40,000  sov- 
ereigns, ($200,000)  for  the  use  of  the  burghers. 
This  was  his  own  money.  He  had  no  government 
money  in  his  possession  and  the  few  thousand  dollars 
that  he  carried  to  Holland  belonged  to  him.  All  the 
burghers  felt  very  sad  at  the  good  old  man's  de- 
parture and  such  was  their  love  for  him  that  they 
one  and  all  resolved  to  fight  harder  than  ever  and 
bring  back  their  great  friend  and  patriot. 

On  hearing  of  the  old  hero's  departure,  Lord 
Roberts  found  a  good  opportunity  to  use  his  pen 
again.  In  effect  he  cabled  the  news  that  Ex-Presi- 
dent Kruger  had  deserted  his  wife,  his  people 
and  land,  and  gone  to  Holland,  taking  with  him 
a  very  large  amount  of  gold  belonging  to  the 
people.  He  also  had  some  abusive  opinions  to  ex- 
press about  the  good  old  man. 

When  Lord  Roberts  wrote  and  sent  those  cable- 
grams, he  knew  that  he  wilfully,  maliciously  and 
deliberately  lied  and  I  would  be  exceedingly  happy 
to  tell  him  so  to  his  face. 

Of  course,  Robert's  idea  in  sending  such  a 
slanderous  state nu-nt  was  to  deceive  the  Boers 

195 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

throughout  the  land,  and  lead  them  to  believe  that 
President  Kruger  was  really  guilty  of  such  in- 
famous conduct;  but  the  Boers  had  known  the 
good  old  man  too  many  years  to  be  so  deceived,  and 
Lord  Roberts  only  succeeded  in  making  them 
love  him  still  more.  Roberts  and  Kitchener  each 
issued  many  proclamations,  all  teeming  with  treach- 
ery and  unscrupulousness,  and  if  either  had  a  grain 
of  honor,  and  were  forced  to  read  his  own  proclama- 
tions to  a  public  audience  in  any  civilized  country, 
I  am  sure  that  each  would  be  stricken  with  a  vom- 
iting fit.  I  will  have  more  on  the  subject  of  procla- 
mations before  I  finish. 

Now  Lord  Roberts  had  a  most  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  make  an  attack  on  the  Boer  women  and 
children,  who  were  helpless  and  in  his  hands,  and 
one  may  be  assured  that  he  did  not  fail  to  take 
advantage  of  it.  He  notified  General  Botha  that 
he  would  send  all  the  women  and  children  to  him 
and  that  he  must  take  care  of  them.  General 
Botha  replied  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  receive 
all  of  them,  as  he  wished  to  send  them  to  Holland 
to  remain  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  but 
that  he  must  not  rush  them  out  all  at  one  time,  as 
it  was  very  cold  weather,  in  which  all  would  suffer 
and  many  die.  He  wanted  no  more  than  a  ship 
load  sent  at  one  time,  so  that  he  could  properly 
care  for  them  and  send  them  at  once  to  Holland. 

This  floored  Roberts  and  he  never  answered. 

196 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

He  could  not  stand  the  idea  of  the  Boer  women 
and  children  being  sent  to  Holland,  for  in  that 
case  he  could  not  fight  them,  nor  could  they  be 
killed  off  in  his  concentration  camps. 

Before  the  President  departed  I  discussed  the 
position  of  the  Irish  Boys  with  him,  and  it  was 
his  opinion  that  all  those  who  were  dismounted 
should  go  at  once  to  Koomati  Poort  and  then,  if 
hard  pressed,  go  to  Delagoa  Bay  and  thence  to 
America.  All  Boers  who  were  dismounted  were 
sent  to  the  Poort,  so  the  Irish  boys  went  also. 
Shortly  after  they  reached  Koomati  Poort  I  tele- 
graphed Captain  O'Connor  that  I  thought  it  best 
for  them  to  go  to  America  at  once.  I  did  this  be- 
cause I  did  not  wish  any  of  them  to  be  captured. 
Should  any  be  so  unfortunate,  I  knew  that  it 
would  go  very  hard  for  them,  and  probably  cause 
them  to  suffer  a  slow  death  in  some  prison.  Major 
McBride  thought  it  best  for  them  to  go  too,  and 
he  went. 

General  Botha  soon  put  things  in  order  now 
at  Hector  Spruit,  and  we  started  on  our  long, 
perilous  journey  through  the  bush  veldt,  our 
destination  being,  for  some  Pietersburg,  for  others 
Pilgrims'  Rest  and  that  vicinity.  We  left  enough 
coffee,  sugar,  flour  and  soforth  unharmed  to  last 
the  whole  British  army  for  at  least  a  month. 
How  I  did  long  apply  the  torch  and  destroy  those 
great  stacks  of  stores!  There  were  about  thirty 

197 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Irish  boys  mounted,  and  determined  as  ever,  with 
us,  but  distributed  in  small  bunches  with  the  dif- 
ferent commandos. 

I  had  joined  with  Major  Pretorius  of  the  artil- 
lery near  Bronkhorst  Spruit  in  July,  but  was  now 
separated  from  him  because  the  English  cut  in  be- 
tween us  at  Dalmanutha  when  he  was  with  one 
Long  Tom  and  I  was  with  the  other.  My  aim  was  to 
find  Pretorius,  and  when  near  Pilgrims'  Rest  his 
brother-in-law,Gustav  Preller,  and  myself  set  out  to 
find  him.  Just  before  we  reached  the  town  of 
Pilgrims'  Rest,  we  saw  the  English,  about  15,000 
strong,  at  the  drift  on  the  Sabi  River,  but  we  moved 
rapidly,  reached  the  little  town  and  heard  that 
Major  Pretorius  with  his  guns,  was  about  twenty 
miles  ahead,  near  Aurichstad.  We  spent  but  little 
time  at  Pilgrims'  Rest,  because  the  English  were 
very  near  us.  Three  days  later  we  caught  up  with 
Major  Pretorius  near  the  Devil's  Pulpit  on  the 
Olif ant  River.  We  had  been  separated  from  August 
26th  at  Dalmanutha  till  this  day,  October  1st,  so 
that  we  had  plenty  to  talk  about.  He  had  saved 
all  his  guns  and  had  fought  the  English  at  close 
range  for  more  than  three  weeks.  We  had  a  hard 
time  getting  the  guns  down  the  mountain  to  the 
river  bank.  He  had  six  guns,  including  one  Long 
Tom,  and  twenty-four  artillery  men  with  him.  So 
steep  arid  long  was  the  open  way  to  the  river  bank 
that  we  had  to  dismount  the  guns,  put  them  on 

198 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

slides  and  turn  them  loose.  Some  would  roll  over, 
some  would  glide  nicely,  and  then  some  would  skip 
off  into  the  rocks  on  the  side.  It  meant  a  great 
deal  of  work,  but  every  gun  was  landed  safely 
without  any  damage  whatever.  We  had  a  look- 
out, of  course,  and  on  the  last  day  he  reported 
several  thousand  English  about  six  miles  from  us. 
They  could  certainly  see  the  trail  of  the  guns,  and 
why  they  did  not  come  over  and  take  us  we  do  not 
know,  unless  it  was  that  they  were  afraid  of  an 
ambush.  We  now  pushed  on  to  Leydsdorp  and 
finally  reached  Pietersburg  on  October  7th.  Here 
we  met  President  Steyn  and  his  escort  under 
command  of  a  good  soldier,  Koos  Boshof .  In  two 
or  three  days  two  or  three  thousand  burghers  had 
assembled.  General  Botha  cut  through  by  Kruger's 
Post  near  Lydenburg  and  finally  reached  Botha's- 
berg  near  Middleburg.  He  had  with  him  quite  a 
good  command.  South  of  the  railway  the  Ermelo, 
Carolina,  Bethel,  Wakkerstroom  and  in  fact  all  the 
commandos  on  the  high  veldt  had  gotten  them- 
selves into  fighting  trim. 

General  de  la  Rey  had  assembled  6,000  men 
in  the  Western  Transvaal  who  had  surrendered 
their  guns,  armed  them  again,  and  put 
them  in  excellent  fighting  condition.  General  De 
Wet  had  put  the  whole  Free  State  in  perfect 
order,  so  that  when  we  finished  counting  noses  we 
found  that  we  had  about  30,000  fighting  men  in  the 

199 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

field,  while  the  English  did  not  have  over  250,000 
men.  Our  chances  were  excellent,  and  the  two 
little  republics  would  have  won  their  independence 
if  the  devil  and  all  his  angels  had  not  been  against 
them. 

By  tbe  15th  of  October  General  Botha  had  all 
his  forces  in  the  Eastern  Transvaal  along  the 
railway  line  from  Pretoria  to  Dalmanutha  and  on 
the  Natal  line  from  Heidleburg  to  Laing's  Nek. 
General  de  la  Rey  was  close  to  Johannesburg  and 
Pretoria  on  the  west.  General  Byers,  a  most 
excellent  man  and  soldier,  was  north  of  Pretoria, 
and  General  De  Wet  was  general  traffic- 
manager  for  the  railway  line*  through  the  Free 
State.  In  fact,  we  were  stronger  and  in  better  con- 
dition than  we  had  ever  been  before,  because  we 
were  concentrated.  Of  course,  at  one  time  during 
the  war  the  Boer  force  was  35,000  strong,  but  it 
was  too  scattered  and  too  much  used  for  siege  work 
to  be  of  practical  use. 

During  our  six  weeks'  absence  the  English  had 
busied  themselves  in  building  all  sorts  of  forts 
along  the  railway  lines.  On  a  high  commanding 
mountain  a  few  miles  north  of  Machadadorp  they 
built  eight  forts  at  Helvetia  and  armed  them  with 
cannon,  one  being  a  4.7  naval  gun,  bearing  in 
large  letters  the  name  "Lady  Roberts."  English 
commands  were  moving  about  freely,  believing 
that  the  Boer  men  were  so  scattered  and 

200 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

demoralized  that  they  would  not  dare  to  make  a 
stand  and  fight.  They  were  soon  to  be  sorely 
disappointed  for  that  able  and  most  successful 
fighting  general,  Ben  Viljoen,  had  gone  to  Rhin- 
oster  Kop,  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Balmoral 
Station,  to  find  out  what  the  English  were  doing 
near  Pretoria.  Soon  General  Paget  with  3,000 
men,  advanced,  and  attacked  General  Ben  Viljoen 
and  his  600  brave  fighters  of  the  Johannesburg 
Commando.  Captain  McCallum,  Sergeant  Joe 
Wade,  Joe  Kennedy,  Mike  Hannifin,  Mike  Halley, 
John  McGlew  and  Jerry  O'Leary,  of  the  Irish  Brig- 
ade were  there  too.  General  Viljoen  took 
positions  near  the  Kop,  and  on  the  29th  of 
November  General  Paget  boldly  attacked.  For 
hours  his  cannon  roared,  and  thundered,  and 
tore  up  the  earth  and  rocks  generally,  but  the 
Johannesburg  boys  were  there  and  they  were 
there  to  stay. 

Having  fired  enough  shells  to  have  killed  each 
man  at  least  five  times,  then  General  Paget  ad- 
vanced his  lines  and  the  rifles  came  into  play. 
Time  and  again  these  lines  were  driven  back,  and 
the  last  time  they  advanced  to  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  Irish  boys.  Didn't  they  keep  the  air  filled 
with  steel  and  didn't  they  do  good  work  ?  Well, 
I  guess  they  did.  The  English  were  driven  back 
once  more  all  along  the  line  and  did  not  try  again. 
General  Viljoen's  men  had  used  up  almost  all  their 

201 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

ammunition  and  could  not  have  repelled  another 
advance.  At  night  he  retired  a  few  miles  back, 
in  the  hope  of  meeting  his  ammunition  wagons, 
which  were  already  due  to  arrive.  General  Paget 
was  satisfied.  He  had  had  enough  and  made  no 
further  attempt  to  molest  General  Viljoen  and  the 
Johannesburg  boys .  A  board  over  on  e  pit  accounts 
for  seventeen  officers.  The  other  pits  bear  no 
mark,  so  it  is  not  yet  known  how  many  men 
were  killed.  However,  the  slaughter  was  so  terri- 
ble, and  General  Paget  so  terribly  thrashed,  that 
he  was  relieved  and  sent  home.  Had  he  simply 
made  a  feint  on  General  Viljoen's  right  flank 
the  latter  would  have  been  forced  to  retreat  with- 
out fighting,  but  it  never  occurred  to  General  Paget 
for  he  was  so  sure  that  his  frontal  attack  would 
be  successful.  General  Viljoen  lost  three  men 
killed  and  two  wounded,  and  taught  the  English 
that  the  demoralized  Boers  were  still  able  to  defeat 
the  disciplined  English  army. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Lord  Kitchener's 
proclamations  and  orders  for  the  burning  and  de- 
struction of  Boer  farms  was  given.  The  English 
visited,  and  destroyed  in  the  end  every  farm,  both 
in  the  Transvaal  and  in  the  Free  State.  All  fences, 
crops,  agricultural  implements  and  soforth  were 
destroyed.  Even  the  towns  of  Dulstroom,  Car- 
olina, Ermelo,  Bethel,  Piet  Retief,  and  many  others 
were  razed  to  the  ground.  Churches  were  torn 

202 


8 

2  3 


a  u 

2  .2 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

down  and  the  corner  stones  robbed  of  old  church 
papers.  Some  of  these  papers  were  afterwards 
advertised  for  sale  at  fabulous  prices.  It  was  not 
until  November,  1901,  that  this  burning  and  de- 
struction of  property  was  completed,  and  the  whole 
country  left  as  a  desert  waste.  On  searching  a 
farm  house  the  officer  in  command  would  give  the 
family  ten  minutes  to  get  out  what  they  could, 
but  would  at  once  spread  the  oil  around  and  then 
apply  the  torch.  All  fowls,  pigs,  sheep  and  cows 
would  either  be  shot  down  or  driven  off,  and  then 
without  a  mouthful  of  food,  without  shelter  or 
clothing,  the  women  and  children  would  be  left 
to  starve  to  death  on  the  veldt. 

I  do  not  believe  that  in  the  history  of  the  world,  one 
could  find  more  acts  of  barbarity  and  brutality  com- 
mitted by  any  people  in  any  land  than  by  the  English 
in  the  two  little  republics  of  the  Transvaal  and  the 
Free  State. 

There  were  about  fifteen  of  us  near  Dulstroom 
watching  the  movements  of  the  English  in  Nov- 
ember, 1901.  A  column  of  about  500  strong 
rode  up  to  a  farm  house  occupied  by  a  widow  and 
eleven  girls,  her  daughters.  Soon  we  saw  the 
girls  pushing  the  organ  out  of  the  door  and 
the  smoke  began  to  fill  the  windows  and  roof.  Of 
course,  one  of  the  girls  brought  out  the  family 
bible  too,  for  that  is  one  of  the  most  precious 
things  in  the  household  to  them.  The  organ  was 

203 


A  W'est  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

pushed  about  forty  yards  away  and  placed  by  a 
stone  cattle  kraal.  The  mother  sat  down  and 
began  to  play  and  her  girls  collected  about  her. 
The  house  was  now  enveloped  in  flames,  the 
soldiers  were  killing  fowl,  etc.,  while  the  officers 
were  cracking  jokes  at  the  poor  mother  and  her 
children.  Of  course,  we  thought  that  the  old  lady 
and  her  children  were  singing  a  hymn  or  psalm, 
because  these  are  nearest  to  the  Boer  heart.  The 
English,  having  completed  their  pleasant  duty,  rode 
off  in  search  of  other  farms.  We  then  went  to  the 
scene  of  destruction,  because  we  knew  that  im- 
mediate help  was  necessary,  as  the  sun  would  soon 
go  down.  On  meeting  them  we  asked  the  old  lady 
how  she  could  play  and  sing  hymns  while  her 
home  behind  her  back  was  burning  and  all  her  pos- 
sessions were  being  destroyed  ?  She  replied,  "We 
were  not  singing  hymns  or  psalms,  but  our  4Boer 
War  Song. ' " 

Here  you  have  a  fair  sample  of  the  Boer  women. 
They  are  ready  and  willing  to  suffer  from  lack  of 
food,  to  suffer  from  lack  of  clothing  and  bedding, 
to  endure  the  cold  of  winter  and  the  heat  and 
fearful  rainstorms  of  summer  without  any  shelter 
over  their  heads,  and,  yes,  they  are  ready  and  will- 
ing to  face  death  itself,  if  the  men  will  only  stand 
and  fight  for  the  liberty  of  the  people  and  the  land. 
Yes,  they  are  noble  women,  brave  and  patriotic 
women,  the  very  women  whom  the  English  strove 

204 


Dark  Period  of  the  War 

so  hard  to  exterminate  and  whom  they  did  murder 
by  thousands  in  those  prison  camps. 

So  long  as  the  Boer  woman  lives  so  long  will 
there  be  a  race  of  liberty-loving  people  in  South 
Africa,  so  Jong  will  there  be  great  Boer  generals 
and  fighting  patriots  daily  born,  and  sure  it  is  that 
such  fighting  blood  will  assert  its  independence. 
No  one  is  more  certain  of  this  than  Roberts,  Kitch- 
ener, Joe  Chamberlain,  Alfred  Milner  and  the 
thousands  of  other  women-fighters  in  England. 


205 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WAR   DECLARED  AT  AN  END  BY   ROBERTS LADY 

ROBERTS   CAPTURED — DE   WET  CORNERED — 

GENERAL    CLEMENT'S    CAMP    TAKEN   BY 

GENERAL     DE    LA     REY  —  DEWET'S 

STRATEGY. 

But  little  was  done  by  General  Botha  in  the 
Eastern  Transvaal;  but  General  Chris.  Botha,  one 
of  the  best  generals  in  the  war,  gave  General 
French  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the  Ermelo  dis- 
trict. French  with  his  11,000  men  could  make  no 
headway  and  had  to  content  himself  with  burning 
farms.  In  the  Free  State,  during  this  month,  Gen- 
eral De  Wet  was  having  a  very  warm  time.  About 
50,000  men  were  trying  constantly  to  surround 
him,  but  he  was  too  smart  for  them.  He  continued 
to  capture  and  turn  loose  many  men,  and  kept  the 
English  in  a  constant  tremble.  During  the  same 
month,  the  English  left  General  de  la  Rey  severely 
alone  in  order  to  concentrate  their  whole  attention 
on  General  De  Wet,  who  was  fairly  disgracing  the 
English  army  and  driving  Roberts  and  Kitchener 
crazy. 

Lord  Roberts  had  declared  the  war  at  an  end, 
and  here  was  General  De  Wet  daily  tearing  his 
army  to  pieces.  He  hates  De  Wet  yet.  During 
December — although  the  war  was  at  an  end, — 

206 


War  Declared  at  an  End  by  Roberts 

there  was  some  very  warm  and  interesting  fighting, 
Generals  De  Wet  and  de  la  Rey  being  the  principal 
actors.  In  fact,  there  was  so  much  fighting,  and 
the  Boers  were  so  successful,  that  Lord  Roberts 
pulled  up  stakes,  fled  for  London  and  left  Kitch- 
ener to  continue  his  dirty  work.  I  assure  him  that 
he  could  not  have  left  a  man  more  capable  for  such 
work  than  Kitchener,  and  he  must  have  known  his 
man  pretty  well.  During  this  month  General 
Louis  Botha  was  inactive.  General  Ben  Viljoen 
played  havoc,  however,  with  the  English  at  Helvetia 
on  top  of  the  fortified  mountain  just  north  of  Mach- 
adadorp.  With  150  men  General  Viljoen  made 
a  night  march  and  attack  on  Helvetia  forts,  took 
several  of  them,  over  a  hundred  prisoners  and  the 
4.7  gun  marked  in  big  letters,  "Lady  Roberts." 
Many  of  the  officers  and  men  were  killed  or  wound- 
ed and  his  night  venture  was  a  great  success. 

He  did  not  lose  any  men  killed  or  wounded,  al- 
though on  the  following  day  the  English  in  force 
pursued  them.  He  brought  "Lady  Roberts"  to 
his  laager  where  she  was  greeted  with  shouts  of 
joy,  thoroughly  inspected  and  admired  by  about 
600  demoralized  Boers.  He  kept  her  for  a  while 
then  blew  her  up  with  dynamite.  What  a  savage 
brutal  act  this  was!  It  was  just  like  the  cowardly 
Boers!  When  all  the  ammunition  was  exhausted,  we 
blew  up  our  Long  Toms,  and  Lord  Kitchener,  having 
found  the  remains  of  one  of  them,  collected  the 

207 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

pieces  and  shipped  the  whole  to  London  to  show 
what  the  English  army  was  doing  in  South  Africa. 
We  would  have  given  him  Lady  Roberts'  remains 
too,  had  he  shown  any  desire  to  have  them,  but  he 
didn't  and  they  are  wasting  away  on  top  of  the 
Totausberg  Mountain.     The  same  Irish  boys  with 
one  other,  Dick  Hunt,  were  in  the  attack  on  the 
Helvetia  forts.     Dick  and  Mike  Halley  were  both 
barefooted  and  were  looking  for  boots,  yet  they 
didn't  have  the  heart  to  fit  themselves  out   with 
the  dead  Tommies  boots.     Shortly  afterwards,  how- 
ever, they  threw  aside  modesty  and    were   always 
well   supplied.      On   the   return   from   Helvetia 
Mike  Halley's  horse  gave  out,  so  he  stopped,  unsad- 
dled, and  put  him  out  to  feed  and  rest  while   he 
himself  lay  down  to  take  a  nap.     In  a  little  while 
Veldtcornet  Ceroni  came  along,  found  Mike  and 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  go  ahead,  as  the  English 
were  following  up.     Mike  told  him  that  his  horse 
was  played  out  and  that  he  had   stopped   to   give 
him  some  rest  and  grass.    "Yes,"  replied  the  veldt- 
cornet,  "he  will  take  plenty  of  rest  now,  for  there 
he  lies  stone  dead."     Sure  enough  he   was   dead, 
and  Mike's  bare  feet  must  now  beat  a  long  road. 
The  veldtcornet  took  his  saddle  and  soforth,  and 
brave  little  Mike  smiled  and  went  on  his  way,  and 
when  he  reached  camp  the  veldtcornet  gave  him 
a  present  of  a  good  horse. 

I  have  forgotten  the  name  of   the  captain    who 

208 


War  Declared  at  an  End  by  Roberts 

was  in  charge  of  "Lady  Roberts"  and  who  was  cap- 
tured with  her,  but  remember  that  he  was  broken- 
hearted, felt  disgraced  and  was  disgusted  generally 
because  such  a  small  force  had  attacked  and  taken 
those  forts,  the  guns  and  so  many  prisoners.  He  was 
a  terrible  Englishman,  and  the  sight  of  the  Irish 
boys  made  him  wild.  He  could  not  understand 
why  an  Irishman  would  fight  against  the  Queen 
and  her  forces.  Had  he  asked  any  of  those  Irish 
boys  he  would  have  had  their  reasons  in  a  very 
few  sharp  words. 

In  the  Vryheid  district  near  the  Natal  border, 
General  Chris.  Botha,  a  most  lovable  man,  was 
firing  away  at  the  English,  and  putting  them  into 
shivers  and  doing  good  execution  as  well,  yet  Lord 
Roberts  had  declared  that  the  war  was  over.  In 
the  Free  State  General  De  Wet  was  again  in  great 
trouble,  for  he  was  completely  surrounded  and  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  escape,  for  Lord  Roberts 
and  Lord  Kitchener  had  said  so. 

All  England  was  ablaze  with  joy.  The  people 
of  London  were  literally  wild,  so  rejoiced  were  they, 
but  when  next  day  they  learned  that  the  wily  De 
Wet  had  departed  and  taken  their  two  guns  with 
him,  and  several  prisoners,  a  heavy  gloom  seemed 
to  settle  over  that  city.  I  will,  for  a  change,  go 
into  the  details,  to  a  small  extent,  to  show  the 
difference  between  the  British  and  the  Boer  officers. 
De  Wet  had  his  laager  among  some  small  kopjes 

209 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

where  he  put  up  a  dozen  or  so  tents.  The  English 
could  just  see  the  tops  of  the  tents  and  knew  that 
the  dangerous  De  Wet  was  in  one  of  them.  They 
completely  surrounded  those  tents  and  at  daylight 
the  following  morning  they  were  to  make  a  deter- 
mined attack  and  take  not  only  those  tents  but  all 
their  occupants.  General  De  Wet  saw  the  English 
and  determined  they  might  have  the  tents,  but 
that  they  would  not  get  the  occupants.  When 
night  came,  he  left  his  tents  standing,  made  a  sly 
march  and  passed  between  the  English  commands. 
When  daylight  came  he  was  in  their  rear,  patiently 
watching  for  them  to  attack  his  abandoned  tents. 
He  was  not  disappointed,  for  they  opened  up  all 
their  cannon  on  those  poor,  unoffending  tents,  and 
kept  up  a  merciless  fire  for  hours  before  they  re- 
solved to  go  and  accept  General  De  Wet's  surren- 
der. When  the  cannon  ceased  to  roar,  all  the 
English  lines  advanced  and  when  they  were  well 
away  General  De  Wet  made  a  rear  attack  on  the 
cannon.  The  English  were  at  once  convinced  that 
General  De  Wet  was  in  front  of  them  and  that 
some  strong  Boer  commando  was  in  the  rear  of 
them,  and  possibly  that  terrible  man,  General 
George  Brand,  was  in  command  of  them.  They 
became  utterly  demoralized,  hustled  to  escape  and 
did  escape,  but  De  Wet  captured  two  of  their  guns 
and  rode  off,  satisfied  with  losing  a  few  old  empty 
tents, 

210 


War  Declared  at  an  End  by  Roberts 

With  all  their  thousands  the  English  were  always 
outwitted  by  General  De  Wet  who  generally  en- 
joyed a  signal  success.  In  anticipation,  the  English 
people  would  become  overjoyed  by  the  glowing  re- 
ports of  the  English  generals  describing  the  little 
pen  into  which  they  had  driven  and  confined  General 
De  Wet  and  his  men  and  from  which  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  escape.  But  when  the  f ollowing 
day  they  learned  that  General  De  Wet  had  not  only 
escaped  but  taken  some  prisoners  with  him,  they 
would  sneak  home,  remain  quiet  and  anxiously  await 
more  glowing  reports  from  the  English  generals. 
Isn't  this  a  sure  sign  of  degeneracy  ?  Well  I  think 
so. 

Now  I  will  leave  the  Free  State  and  stop  in  Cape 
Colony  for  a  moment.  Of  course,  all  was  peaceful 
there  and  the  people  were  loyal  British  subjects,  for 
the  London  Times  said  so.  But  Lord  Kitchener 
felt  that  a  strong  British  force  in  those  parts  might 
induce  the  people  to  be  more  loyal,  and  accordingly 
he  kept  one  there.  General  Kritzinger  with  600 
or  600  men  showed  himself  on  the  Boer  side  and  at 
once  made  it  very  uncomfortable  for  the  English  in 
loyal  Cape  Colony.  The  war  was  over,  because 
Lord  Roberts  had  said  so,  yet  here  was  hard  fight- 
ing in  Cape  Colony  as  well  as  in  the  Free  State  and 
the  Transvaal. 

Now  I  will  go  into  the  Rustenburg  district  and 
see  to  what  a  mass  of  pulp  the  English  have  crushed 

211 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

General  de  la  Rey  and  his  patriots.  The  English 
had  a  strong  force  in  the  town  of  Rustenburg,  and 
of  course  they  must  be  fed,  and  to  feed  them  long 
convoys  heavily  guarded  were  necessary.  General 
de  la  Rey  never  denied  food  to  the  hungry  in  his 
life,  but  on  this  occasion,  when  a  long  convoy  sur- 
rounded with  numerous  Tommies  was  slowly  mov- 
ing towards  Rustenburg  to  feed  the  hungry,  he 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  making  an  attack, 
for  his  own  men  might  be  hungry  in  a  week  or  so. 
The  result  was  that  the  convoy  was  taken,  many 
Tommies  buried  on  the  roadside,  and  several  of  them 
taken  prisoners,  only  to  be  disarmed  and  set  free 
again.  In  the  middle  of  the  month  General 
Clements,  in  conjunction  with  other  generals  and 
then*  commands,  planned  to  surround  and  take  hi 
this  old  farmer,  de  la  Rey.  They  planned  well  and 
their  intentions  were  good  enough,  but  the  old 
farmer  did  not  exactly  like  the  idea  and  acted  ac- 
cordingly. 

At  the  base  of  the  Magaliesburg  Mountains  but 
a  few  miles  from  Hecpoort  there  are  a  long  line  of 
kopjes  excellently  situated  for  defensive  work. 
The  place  is  known  by  the  Boers  as  Nooitgedacht, 
"  never  thought  of, "  but  I  am  sure  that  the  Boers 
will  never  forget,  and  that  General  Clements  will 
ever  remember  it. 

General  de  la  Rey  realized  that  it  was  a  very 
strong  position  and  concluded  to  take  it  for  his  own 

212 


War  Declared  at  an  End  by  Roberts 

use.  He  had  an  exceedingly  strong  and  capable 
brother  officer  with  him,  in  young  General  Beyers, 
who  commanded  the  Waterburg  commando.  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  was  a  better  fighting 
general  in  the  field  than  this  brave  and  patriotic 
Beyers,  and  like  those  great  generals,  Celliers  and 
Kemp,  he  was  always  ready  for  daring  work.  The 
English  had  planned  to  surround  and  take  General 
de  la  Rey,  but  this  Commandant-General  of  Western 
Transvaal  resolved  to  take  in  the  English.  So  he 
told  General  Beyers  to  charge  them  from  one  side 
and  he  would  charge  them  from  the  other.  Of 
course,  General  Clements*  force  was  much  stronger 
than  the  combined  forces  of  General  de  la  Rey  and 
Generl  Beyers,  but  that  made  no  difference  so  far 
as  either  de  la  Rey  or  Beyers  was  concerned. 

About  the  middle  of  December,  hi  the  early  morn- 
ing, Generl  Beyers,  with  his  350  men,  charged 
over  a  half  mile  of  open  ground  and  came  into 
close  fighting  quarters  with  Clements'  force.  Kopje 
after  kopje  was  taken,  and  at  times  the  Boers  and 
English  were  within  two  yards  of  each  other,  yet 
the  former  continued  to  kill  and  drive  till  they 
completely  routed  the  whole  force  and  killed  and 
captured  nearly  800  men.  The  Boers  did  not 
know  where  Clements'  cannon  were,  or  they  would 
have  captured  them,  too.  General  Beyers'  attack 
was  a  little  previous,  because  General  de  la  Rey 
had  not  had  time  enough  to  reach  the  charging 

213 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

point  before  Beyers  had  finished  his  work. 
Clements  and  his  whole  command,  together  with 
his  cannon,  would  have  been  captured  without 
doubt,  had  General  Beyers  delayed  his  charge  for 
twenty  minutes.  But  it  was  dark  and  very  diffi- 
cult for  two  forces  to  work  in  perfect  unison.  At 
any  rate  General  de  la  Rey  had  the  position  he 
wished,  and  General  Clements  was  in  rapid 
retreat. 

All  this  took  place  in  the  middle  of  December, 
yet  the  war  was  over,  for  Lord  Roberts,  the  Mighty, 
the  High,  the  Great  Financier  and  Politician,  had 
so  declared  nearly  four  months  previously,  and 
Conan  Doyle  had  countersigned  his  declaration. 

Before  the  end  of  December  and  the  end  of  the 
year  1900,  many  Free  Staters  with  General  George 
Brand  and  General  Hertzog,  both  able  and  deter- 
mined officers,  had  crossed  into  the  Colony,  and 
other  forces  had  entered  Griqualand  West,  where 
some  convoys  were  taken.  So  there  was  daily 
fighting  in  Cape  Colony,  the  Free  State  and  the 
Transvaal,  and  the  Boers  were  successful  in  all  the 
main  engagements,  this,  too,  in  the  face  of  the 
fact  that  the  war  was  declared  at  an  end  both  by 
Lord  Roberts  and  Conan  Doyle. 


214 


CHAPTER  XVI, 

BOERS  BECOME  AGGRESSIVE AMERICAN  GOVERN- 
MENT COMES  TO  ENGLAND'S  ASSISTANCE 

AND  FURNISHES  HORSES,  MULES 
AND  MEN. 

The  year  1901  began  well,  and  the  month  of 
January  was  a  very  lively  one,  as  there  was  hot 
fighting  in  every  direction  throughout  the  land  and 
as  far  south  as  Cape  Town.  The  English  were 
alarmed;  affairs  in  South  Africa  looked  dubious 
and  dark.  The  Boers  were  becoming  more  aggres- 
sive, Johannesburg  was  in  a  constant  state  of  ex- 
citement, expecting  every  moment  to  be  attacked 
and  captured;  the  people  were  calling  for  protec- 
tion, Kitchener  was  clamoring  for  re-enforcements 
from  England,  and  England  was  calling  for  help 
from  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales,  Canada,  India,  New 
Zealand  and  Australia.  At  the  same  tune  Lord 
Roberts  was  pulling  the  ropes  for  his  earldom,  and 
$500,000  for  his  proclamations  annexing  the  Free 
State  and  the  Transvaal,  and  declaring  the  war  at 
an  end.  The  English  were  short  on  horses  and 
mules  and  these  she  must  have  at  any  cost,  other- 
wise they  were  swamped. 

There  was  but  one  country  in  the  world  from 
which  she  could  hope  to  get  them,  and  that  was 

215 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  last  country  in  the  world  that  should  supply 
them. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  of  America 
disgraced  itself  by  violating  the  law  and  allowing 
British  officers  to  establish  recruiting  camps  for 
horses,  mules  and  men  on  its  sacred  soil,  thereby 
assisting  the  great  monarchy  of  the  British  Empire  to 
destroy  two  little  republics  in  South  Africa  struggling 
so  hard  for  their  liberty  and  independence.  One  of 
these  camps  was  in  New  Orleans,  at  Chalmette,  a 
spot  of  ground  sacred  in  the  eyes  and  hearts  of  all 
true  Americans. 

The  governor  of  the  state  protested  against  this 
camp.  The  mayor  of  the  city  protested  against 
this  camp,  and  the  people  of  America  protested 
against  this  camp,  yet  it  was  allowed  to  remain. 
The  Government  in  Washington  City  sent  two 
officers  clothed  in  the  army  uniform  to  visit  and 
report  on  this  camp.  The  two  officers  went  there, 
shook  hands  with  the  British  officers,  had  some 
wine,  returned  to  Washington,  reported  that  all 
was  well,  and  the  Government  established  a  police 
force  to  protect  those  British  officers  and  that 
camp  while  recruiting  horses,  mules  and  men  for 
the  British  Army  in  South  Africa. 

During  the  war  of  1812  the  English  tried  to  lay 
waste  our  land,  employed  the  Indian  savages  to  mur- 
der our  women  and  children,  burnt  our  capitol,  and 
the  war  closed  with  one  of  its  greatest  battles,  in  1815, 

216 


Boers  Become  Aggressive 

at  Chalmette,  in  New  Orleans.  So  our  English  G-ov- 
ernment  in  Washington  waited  some  eighty-five  years 
for  the  opportunity  to  apologize  to  the  British  Gov- 
ernment for  the  terrible  thrashing  that  the  famous 
Andrew  Jackson  gave  Greneral  Pakenham  and  his 
English  army  at  Chalmette,  New  Orleans. 

It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  enough  to  bring 
the  blush  of  shame  to  the  cheeks  of  every  true 
American.  If  the  people  of  the  United  States  of 
America  cannot  find  enough  true  Americans  to 
fill  the  highest  office  in  their  gift,  then  the  tune 
has  arrived  when  they  should  change  their  name 
and  cease  to  call  themselves  Americans.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  just  as  the  struggling  Boers  had  all 
England  alarmed  and  the  English  army  pushed 
to  hard  straits,  ship  load  after  ship  load  of  horses, 
mules  and  men  from  America  began  to  arrive 
in  Cape  Town  and  Durban,  and  with  them  Lord 
Kitchener  was  soon  able  to  put  into  the  field  ninety- 
one  mobile  columns.  Many  of  these  Americans 
were  captured,  and  some  of  them  said  that  the 
English  forced  them  to  enlist  and  fight,  after  they 
reached  South  Africa,  while  others  declared  that 
they  were  duly  hired  by  the  British  in  New 
Orleans  to  go  with  the  horses  and  mules  to  South 
Africa  and  on  arrival  there  take  up  arms  against 
the  Boers. 

Little  good  it  would  do  them,  but  all  those  who 
claim  they  were  forced  by  the  British  to  take  up 

217 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

arms  against  the  Boers,  should  at  least  vindicate 
themselves  to  the  extent  of  laying  their  complaints 
with  the  proper  officials  in  Washington  City. 
Those  who  confess  that  they  were  duly  hired  by 
the  English  to  take  up  arms  against  the  Boers 
should  be  made  to  feel  the  stigma  of  their  disgrace 
by  being  disfranchised  and  deprived  of  the  rights 
of  American  citizenship. 

I  certainly  feel  that  any  republican  who  volun- 
tarily assists  a  king  or  queen,  or  both,  to  kill  or 
enslave  other  republicans,  is  not  fit  to  live  among 
republicans,  for  such  a  man  in  time  of  war  is  sure 
to  commit  treason  if  he  gets  an  opportunity. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  yet  true,  the  Eng- 
lish never  once  attacked  the  Boers  in  the  month  of 
January.  They  were  forced  to  fight  on  the  defen- 
sive and  the  Boers  made  them  do  plenty  of  fight- 
ing. Without  horses  and  mules  what  could  the 
English  do  but  spend  their  time  in  throwing  up 
earthworks  to  defend  themselves  against  Boer 
attacks,  and  I  tell  you  the  English  were  kept 
pretty  busy  from  morn  till  night.  The  Boers 
were  having  a  first  class  picnic  with  them,  and 
had  not  the  English  Government  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  lent  a  helping  hand,  the  British  army  in 
South  Africa  would  have  been  hopelessly  lost 
in  the  struggle.  Now  the  reader  can  understand 
what  I  meant  when  I  said  some  time  back  that  the 
two  little  Republics  would  have  won  their  inde- 

218 


Boers  Become  Aggressive 

pendence  had  not  the  devil  and  his  angels  been 
against  them.  It  is  significant,  and  it  means  some- 
thing when  35,000  Boers  put  an  English  army 
250,000  strong  strictly  on  the  defensive,  and  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  did  not  fail  to 
come  promptly  to  the  British  Army's  rescue.  But 
I  must  go  ahead  and  tell  what  happened  in  the 
various  and  widely  separated  parts  of  South  Africa 
during  the  month  of  January,  1901.  It  may  not 
interest  the  reader,  but  it  was  a  month  of  great 
worry  and  excitement  both  to  the  British  army  and 
the  British  Government. 

Early  in  the  month  General  Botha  planned  to  at- 
tack Machadadorp,  Dalmanutha,  Belfast,  Wonder- 
fontein  and  Balmoral,  all  fortified  stations  of  the 
Delagoa  railway  line.  All  the  forts  were  well 
equipped  both  with  men  and  guns,  and  the  forts  at 
each  station  were  so  placed  that  each  could  protect 
the  other. 

It  was  during  the  dark  and  rainy  night  of  Jan- 
uary 8th,  that  a  simultaneous  attack  on  all  the 
stations  on  the  line  was  to  be  made.  For  a  dis- 
tance of  seventy-five  miles  the  midnight  hour  was 
made  hideous  by  the  singing  of  rifle  bullets,  whiz- 
zing grape  shot,  and  the  roar  of  cannon. 

The  frightful  noise  could  be  heard  for  miles, 
and  the  Boers  and  English  were  face  to  face  at  the 
forts,  some  shooting  and  others  using  their  rifles 
as  clubs.  The  English  lost  heavily,  but  the  at- 

219 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

tack  was  only  partially  successful.  The  Boers  had 
tried  to  outdo  ten  te  one  against  them  in  well 
fortified  positions.  The  English  at  night  always 
removed  their  guns  at  Belfast  from  the  forts  for 
safety  and  it  was  fortunate  for  them  that  they 
did,  for  General  Viljoen  with  the  Johannesburg 
boys  took  the  big  fort  on  Monument  Hill  with  its 
maxims  and  men.  He  lost  his  bravest  and  best  veldt- 
cornet  in  the  attack,  Ceroni,  who  fell  at  the  wall 
of  the  fort.  Plucky  Dick  Hunt,  of  the  Irish  Brig- 
ade,  was  by  his  side,  and  he  received  three  wounds, 
one  in  the  lungs  being  a  very  severe  one,  from  which 
he  is  suffering  to  this  very  day.  He,  however,  with 
his  three  wounds,  was  among  the  very  first  to  scale 
the  walls  and  capture  the  fort.  The  fort  at  the 
coal  mine  was  attacked  by  Major  Wolmorans  and 
about  twenty-five  artillery  boys,  including  Ser- 
geant Joe  Wade,  Sergeant  Mike  Halley,  Joe 
Kennedy,  John  McGlew,  Jim  French,  Captain 
McCallum  and  Jerry  O'Leary,  of  the  Irish  Brigade. 
Here  the  Boers  and  the  English  were  within  two 
feet  of  each  other,  each  trying  to  take  the  other's 
head  off.  Some  of  the  Irish  boys  actually  pulled 
the  rifles  out  of  the  Tommies'  hands.  Finally  the 
Tommies  weakened  and  the  boys  jumped  over 
the  wall  and  took  the  fort.  Lieutenant  Cotzee 
showed  remarkable  bravery,  was  severely  wounded 
and  afterwards  murdered  by  some  Kaffirs  that  had 
been  armed  by  the  British.  The  Boers  held  the 

220 


Boers  Become  Aggressive 

two  forts  a  few  hours,  helped  to  care  for  the  dead 
and  wounded  English,  and  then  with  all  their 
booty  returned  to  camp.  At  all  the  other  stations 
the  Boers  had  to  fall  back  because  the  English 
were  too  strong  for  them. 

This  affair  put  all  the  English  to  work  next  day 
along  the  line,  strengthening  existing  forts,  build- 
ing others,  digging  trenches  and  so  forth,  to  make 
their  positions  as  strong  for  defence  as  possible. 
They  were  not  only  frightened,  but  astonishingly 
alarmed  by  the  boldness  and  the  aggressiveness  of 
the  Boers.  We  were  camped  about  seven  miles 
from  Belfast,  about  150  strong,  could  see  everyone 
in  the  town,  and  the  English,  about  3,000  strong, 
could  see  us,  yet  they  never  dared  to  attack  us. 
We  had  no  defences  whatever  and  were  camped  on 
the  open  prairie.  "  We  were  as  safe  as  the  people 
hi  Piccadilly. " 

General  Chris.  Botha  near  Blauwkop  and  not  far 
from  Standerton,  attacked  the  English  and  had  a 
good  warm  fight,  and  at  the  end  the  English 
thought  it  wise  to  pull  themselves  nearer  Stander- 
ton. Shortly  afterwards  General  Chris.  Botha 
found  the  English  between  Ermelo  and  Carolina 
and  again  attacked  and  made  it  warm  for  them. 
In  fact,  he  made  the  English  commands  that  had 
sufficient  horses  hustle  away  lively,  and  they  kept 
close  to  the  railway  lines  for  protection.  General 
De  Wet  in  the  Free  State  was  at  all  times  next  to 

221 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  English,  who  now  were  not  striving  to  corner 
him,  but  to  keep  shy  of  him.  Near  Lindley  he 
attacked  and  had  a  fight  with  a  column  much 
stronger  in  men  and  guns  than  himself,  but  he  was 
eminently  successful,  and  before  all  could  escape 
he  made  several  prisoners.  In  Cape  Colony,  south 
of  Kimberly  and  as  far  down  as  Cape  Town,  there 
was  good  fighting  in  many  places.  It  required 
an  English  army  30,000  strong  to  protect  the 
various  towns,  and  yet  the  Boers  had  no  trouble  in 
accomplishing  their  ends.  Judge  Hertzog  and 
General  Brand  were  in  one  section,  Commandant 
Fouche  and  General  Kritsinger  in  another,  while 
Commandant  Wynand  Malan  and  Commandant 
Scheepers  were  near  to  Cape  Town.  All  these 
generals  and  commandants  were  playing  havoc 
with  the  English,  and  Commandant  Malan,  one  of 
the  most  successful  and  daring  young  officers  of 
the  war,  was  within  twenty  miles  of  Cape  Town 
when  he  captured  a  convoy.  While  he  was  here 
great  excitement  prevailed  in  Cape  Town  and  the 
people  were  daily  expecting  the  Boers  to  attack. 
Near  Kimberly  the  other  generals  and  commandants 
were  attacking  and  driving  the  English,  and  once 
again  Kimberly  was  in  a  great  state  of  worry. 
So  alarming  were  the  conditions  in  Cape  Colony 
that  it  became  necessary  to  proclaim  martial  law 
in  many  districts,  and  re-enforcements  were  called 
for  in  order  to  try  and  suppress  the  invaders. 

222 


COMMANDANTS  IN  THE  BOER  SERVICE 

Colonel  Blake,        John  Muller,       Commandant  Malan, 

Lieutenant  Malan,     Commandant  Conroy, 
Commandant  Lategan,  Commandant  Piet  Moll. 


Boers  Become  Aggressive 

Now  we  will  see  what  General  de  la  Rey  is  do- 
ing in  the  Western  Transvaal.  The  English  are 
numerous  everywhere  and  protected  by  forts  in  all 
parts.  At  Zeerust  a  large  command  is  tied  up  by 
General  de  la  Key's  men,  not  one  of  them  shows 
his  head  above  the  wall.  They  cry  for  food  and 
relief,  but  in  vain.  Only  a  small  number  of 
General  de  la  Key's  men  are  there,  but  the  number 
seems  quite  sufficient.  The  English  are  hard 
pushed  and  much  worried,  yet  they  do  not  dare  to 
leave  their  walls  and  face  the  Boers. 

For  many  miles  along  the  Magaliesburg  Moun- 
tains southwest  of  Pretoria,  de  la  Rey  is  attacking 
and  driving  the  English,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
month  had  cleared  them  all  from  the  mountains 
and  taken  possession  himself.  Every  advantage, 
both  in  men,  guns  and  fortified  positions  were  in 
the  hands  of  the  English,  yet  so  fierce  was  General 
de  la  Key's  attack  that  they  had  to  give  way  and 
abandon  that  mountain  range.  Near  Ventersdorp 
and  Lichtenburg  some  of  de  la  Key's  commandos 
attacked  the  intrenched  and  fortified  English,  and 
at  Lichtenburg,  where  the  general  was  in  person, 
half  the  defences  were  taken  and  many  English 
killed  and  wounded.  Fighting  continued  here  for 
several  days,  and  had  not  re-enforcements  arrived, 
General  de  la  Rey  would  have  captured  or  killed 
all  the  English  commands. 

In  the  Western  Transvaal  one  of  de  la  Rey's  com- 

223 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

mandos  attacked  a  convoy  and  its  escort  near 
Modderfontein,  and  a  hard  fight  for  several  days, 
was  the  result.  In  the  end,  250  men  surrendered 
with  two  maxims,  plenty  of  ammunition,  loaded 
wagon  train,  and  so  forth.  Having  disarmed  them 
and  taken  possession  of  the  booty,  the  Boers  sent 
the  escort  back  to  the  English  lines.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  month  that  General  Beyers  passed  from 
the  high  veldt  on  the  east  to  the  Western  Trans- 
vaal, crossing  the  railway  line  between  Johannes- 
burg and  Pretoria.  He  did  not  forget  to  take  a 
railway  station  as  he  passed.  Some  of  his  men 
made  a  raid  to  Johannesburg,  upset  the  nerves  of 
the  whole  population,  took  about  two  thousand 
cattle,  a  good  number  of  goats  and  sheep  and  then 
returned  to  camp,  satisfied  with  their  day's  work. 
Many  other  small  fights  occurred  during  the  month, 
but  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  deserve  mention. 
I  think  that  I  have  given  enough  to  show  that  Lord 
Roberts'  war  was  at  an  end,  and  that  he  fully  de- 
served his  $500,000  and  earldom  for  his  procla- 
mations. I  have  not  heard  yet  what  Conan  Doyle 
received,  but  he  is  certain  to  have  reaped  a  reward 
of  some  kind. 

It  was  during  the  months  of  December  and  Jan- 
uary that  Lord  Kitchener  did  some  of  his  dirtiest 
paper  work  in  the  form  of  circulars  praying  the 
burghers  to  come  in  and  surrender,  and  offering 
them  all  sorts  of  inducements  to  commit  treason. 

224 


Boers  Become  Aggressive 

He  made  use  of  the  burghers  who  had  long  since 
surrendered  and  whom  he  had  not  shipped  out  of 
the  country  because  they  were  so  loyal,  to  carry 
out  these  circulars  and  distribute  them  among  the 
Boer  commandos. 

When  they  began  to  arrive  they  were  at  once 
sent  back  and  told  to  warn  all  persons  who  should 
in  the  future  appear  in  the  Boer  camps  with  such 
treasonable  papers  that  they  would  be  shot.  Lord 
Kitchener  prevailed  upon  them,  however,  and  out 
they  came  again.  Generals  De  Wet,  de  la  Rey, 
Louis  Botha,  Chris.  Botha  and  Viljoen  all  had  some 
of  them  shot.  Lord  Kitchener  protested  against 
the  shooting  of  his  loyal  subjects,  but  he  was  very 
careful  not  to  send  any  more  out.  These  Anglo- 
Africans  who  did  this  work  correspond  to  what  is 
known  in  the  United  States  as  Anglo-Americans  or 
Anglo-Saxons,  and  just  as  much  confidence  can  be 
put  in  the  one  in  time  of  war  as  in  the  other.  For 
it  is  this  class  of  people  who,  in  time  of  war,  will 
be  sure  to  ally  themselves  with  that  power  which 
they  believe  most  likely  will  be  victorious  in  the 
end,  regardless  of  their  citizenship.  Any  English 
lord  or  general,  or  any  general  who,  to  gain  his  end, 
puts  a  premium  upon  treason,  will  himself,  under 
proper  conditions  commit  treason,  just  as  sure  as 
he  who  offers  a  bribe  is  equally  sure  to  accept  one. 
An  Anglo- African  is  a  born  or  naturalized  burgher 

225 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

of  the  Free  State  or  the  Transvaal  who  has  an  Eng- 
lish heart,  just  as  an  Anglo-American  is  a  born  or 
naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States  who  has  an 
English  heart. 


226 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KITCHENER     ALARMED     AND     ASKS     FOR      MORE 
TROOPS — FRENCH  TRIES  TO  CORNER  BOTHA — 
FAILING  MAKES  WAR  ON  BOER  WOMEN- 
BOTHA  ATTACKS  ENGLISH  AT  LAKE 
CHRISSI — DE  WET  ALARMS  THE 
ENGLISH — DEFEATS  THEM, 
GOES  TO  THE  COLONY 
AND  RETURNS. 

Now  I  come  to  the  month  of  February,  1901,  and 
will  give  the  reader  a  little  idea  of  how  the  Boers 
conducted  themselves  during  the  twenty-eight  days. 
The  British  Government  had  now  granted  Lord 
Kitchener's  request,  and  started  to  South  Africa 
30,000  more  men.  England  was  so  hard  pressed 
for  recruits  that  she  had  to  send  any  and  everything 
in  the  shape  of  a  man,  and  most  of  her  recruits  were 
taken  from  barrooms,  I  imagine,  for,  of  the  30,000 
who  came,  Lord  Kitchener  had  to  send  back  some 
10,000  as  being  utterly  worthless  for  any  use  what- 
ever. The  remaining  20,000  were  put  in  military 
training  for  six  months,  and  in  the  end  were  unable 
to  ride  or  fight,  but  he  needed  men  so  badly  that 
he  kept  them  to  make  a  good  display  if  for  nothing 
else. 

During  the  month  before  us  General  Louis  Botha 

227 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  his  brother,  General  Chris.  Botha,  had  a  very 
lively  tune.  They  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Ermelo 
on  the  high  veldt,  in  the  Eastern  Transvaal.  They 
had  made  so  much  trouble  that  Lord  Kitchener 
resolved  to  make  a  determined  effort  to  corner  and 
capture  them.  He  collected  all  his  available  caval- 
ry and  having  supplied  them  with  plenty  of  max- 
ims and  guns  he  started  them  in  six  columns  to 
bring  in  the  two  Bothas.  General  French  was  put 
in  command  of  the  English  and  was  considered  the 
best  cavalry  officer  in  the  British  service,  so  then 
there  was  no  doubt  but  that  he  would  present  to 
Lord  Kitchener  the  two  ordinary  farmer  generals 
that  had  been  causing  so  much  trouble  and  alarm. 
The  Bothas  had  with  them  about  1,000  men,  and 
French  was  to  corner  and  capture  them  with  15,000 
men.  General  French  so  placed  his  columns  that 
when  they  all  advanced  they  would  enclose  the 
Bothas  within  a  circle  from  which  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  escape.  The  Bothas  discovered  French's 
object  and  before  the  columns  could  advance  they 
attacked  and  put  to  flight  one  column  and  then 
moved  off  in  the  direction  of  Piet  Retief.  This 
was  a  surprise  to  General  French,  but  he  did  not 
despair  of  capturing  the  farmer  generals.  He  put 
all  his  columns  hi  pursuit,  and  when  the  proper 
time  came  to  cage  them,  the  two  farmers  easily 
broke  through  the  cordon  and  returned  to  the  vici- 
nity of  Ermelo. 

228 


GENERAL  JAN    KEMP 


Kitchener  Asks  for  More  Troops 

French  was  discouraged.  He  made  no  further 
attempt  to  capture  the  farmers,  but  was  determined 
to  do  something  before  he  returned,  so  he  made  war 
on  the  women  and  children  and  spread  great  dis- 
tress and  suffering  among  them.  Some  of  these 
women  were  raped,  others  dragged  out  of  then* 
homes  at  night  and  made  witness  all  their  posses- 
sions consumed  in  flames.  Many  were  driven  on 
foot  to  concentration  camps  and  kicked  and  cuffed 
about  as  so  many  beasts. 

Having  made  the  women  suffer  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, he  gathered  in  several  thousand  cattle  and 
sheep  and  returned  to  report  what  a  successful  ex- 
pedition he  had  completed.  At  Lake  Chrissi,  be- 
tween Ermelo  and  Carolina,  General  Botha  had  the 
nerve  to  attack  an  English  camp  2,000  strong.  It 
was  a  foggy  morning,  and  the  noise  of  the  battle 
stampeded  a  band  of  wild  horses  and  they  ran  into 
the  Krugersdorpers'  horses,  stampeding  them  too. 

This  spoiled  the  whole  affair,  for  General  Botha 
had  the  English  camp  all  but  taken,  but  when  the 
burghers  saw  their  saddled  horses  running  away 
they  at  once  started  in  pursuit  of  them.  Fortun- 
ately they  had  already  captured  several  hundred 
horses  from  the  English,  for  many  of  their  own 
horses  evaded  them.  Commandant  Kemp,  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic,  one  of  the  most  energetic, 
pluckiest  and  best  commandants  in  the  Boer  army, 
was  more  than  disgusted  with  his  men  for  being  so 

229 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

concerned  about  their  horses,  but  he  forgot  for  the 
moment  that  an  infantryman  is  but  of  little  practi- 
cal use  in  war.  The  English,  when  the  Boers 
retired,  lost  no  time  in  fleeing  to  places  of  safety, 
and  never  again  showed  themselves  on  the  high 
veldt  until  the  horses,  mules  and  men  from  Amer- 
ica were  put  into  fighting  trim,  and  that  was  many 
weeks  to  come.  The  two  Bothas  had  proved  them- 
selves equal  to  that  almost,  if  not  quite,  unequalled 
De  Wet,  and  such  was  the  impression  they  made 
on  Lord  Kitchener  that  he  requested  General  Louis 
Botha  to  meet  and  discuss  with  him  some  peace 
terms. 

Before  going  elsewhere,  I  will  tell  what  happened 
when  last  General  Botha  and  Lord  Kitchener  met 
in  Middleburg  at  the  end  of  February.  For  the 
price  of  peace,  Lord  Kitchener  told  General  Botha 
that  after  a  time  he  would  give  the  Boers  civil 
government  and  give  this,  and  that,  and  one  million 
pounds  to  build  up  ten  millions'  worth  of  destroyed 
farms,  and  so  forth.  But  Lord,  or  monacle-eyed 
Joe  Chamberlain  stepped  in,  and  said  "We  will  do 
nothing  of  the  kind,  and  the  Boers  must  make 
an  unconditional  surrender."  Of  course,  General 
Botha  smiled  at  both,  and  on  his  return  to  Ermelo 
told  what  had  taken  place  at  the  conference,  ex- 
horted them  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end,  and  assured 
them  that  he  would  be  with  them  heart,  soul  and 
body. 

230 


Kitchener  Asks  for  More  Troops 

Now  I  will  jump  into  the  Free  State  and  see 
what  the  wily  De  Wet  is  doing.  De  Wet,  the 
Stonewall  Jackson  of  South  Africa,  had  all  the 
English  of  the  Free  State  on  the  run  and,  at  the 
end  of  January,  it  looked  as  if  he  would  sweep  them 
from  the  country.  Lord  Kitchener  resolved  to  cor- 
ner and  capture  him,  it  mattered  not  what  it  might 
cost,  for  Lord  Roberts  and  Conan  Doyle  had  de- 
clared the  war  at  an  end,  and  if  the  English  people 
should  hear  that  De  Wet  was  practically  in  con- 
trol of  the  Free  State,  why,  they  would  be  inclined 
to  think  that  both  Roberts  and  Doyle  were  liars. 

As  a  side  remark,  that  might  be  expressing  it  mild- 
ly, but  anyhow,  Kitchener  organized  eight  or  ten 
columns,  all  he  could  get,  because  the  English  Gov- 
ernment in  Washington  City  had  not  yet  succeeded 
in  landing  enough  horses  or  mules  for  his  needs,  and 
sent  them  to  surround  and  take  in  the  troublesome 
De  Wet.  Now  General  De  Wet  was  on  the  open 
veldt  near  Brandfort,  where  the  English  could  see 
him  from  all  directions,  and  all  they  had  to  do  was 
to  surround  him  and  take  or  kill  him.  As  De  Wet 
had  about  1500  men,  of  course  it  would  be  a  very 
easy  thing  for  25,000  trained  military  men  to 
gobble  him  in,  in  quick  time.  The  several  columns 
surrounded  him,  and  despatch  men  were  flying  at 
full  speed  from  column  to  column  bearing  instruc- 
tions that  would  insure  perfect  unity  of  action. 
General  De  Wet,  when  he  concluded  that  the  sev- 

231 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

eral  columns  were  in  good  readiness  to  bury  him, 
saddled  up,  moved  out  and  attacked  the  nearest 
column.  He  riddled  it,  put  it  to  flight,  and  another 
column  which  came  up  quickly  was  also  torn  to 
pieces  and  scattered  in  all  directions.  He  took 
two  of  their  guns,  a  maxim  and  a  portion  of  their 
convoy,  a  few  prisoners  whom  he  released,  and 
went  on  his  way  to  Cape  Colony  without  consult- 
ing with  or  asking  permission  of  the  other  columns. 
I  do  not  know  what  the  officer  in  command  re- 
ported on  his  return,  but  I  suppose  he  made  the 
usual  one,  that  some  one  had  betrayed  him  or  that 
his  horses  and  men  were  so  fatigued  that  he  could 
not  make  a  successful  pursuit  of  De  Wet  and  his 
fresh  horses  and  men.  General  De  Wet  did  not 
stop  to  hear  what  kind  of  a  report  the  English 
commander  did  make,  because  he  was  anxious  to 
reach  Cape  Colony,  find  out  what  was  being  done 
there  and  replenish  his  command  with  horses,  and 
so  forth.  He  had  to  pass  many  English  commands 
on  the  way,  but  he  succeeded  in  sweeping  them 
aside  and  reaching  the  Orange  River,  where  the 
English  had  made  every  preparation  not  only  to 
prevent  his  crossing,  but  also  to  capture  him. 
Again  he  outwitted  the  English,  crossed  the  river, 
entered  Cape  Colony,  saw  Judge  Hertzog  and  other 
commanders,  supplied  himself  with  plenty  of  horses, 
had  a  tough  fight  with  the  English,  abandoned 
some  of  his  wagons,  and  then  started  back  on  his 

232 


-  > 
Q  W 


-> 


§£ 


Kitchener  Asks  for  More  Troops 

way  to  the  Orange  River  where  the  English  were 
sure  to  catch  him  this  tune. 

On  arriving  near  the  river  he  found  the  crossings 
in  possession  of  the  English  commands,  but  he 
must  cross,  for  he  was  anxious  to  go  far  to  the 
north  in  the  Free  State,  where  he  felt  that  his  pres- 
ence was  necessary.  He  sent  a  detachment  to  a 
certain  point  up  the  river  with  instructions  to 
show  themselves,  and  in  case  the  English  advanced 
they  were  to  retire,  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and 
overtake  the  command  while  crossing  the  river. 
The  scheme  worked  beautifully,  for  as  soon  as  the 
English  saw  the  detachment  they  concluded  that  it 
was  De  Wet's  advance  guard  and  they  prepared  to 
attack  him.  The  detachment  played  its  part  well, 
by  going  through  the  form  of  signalling  to  the  rear. 

The  English  made  all  possible  haste  to  advance 
and  attack  De  Wet  and  if  possible  hold  him  en- 
gaged until  their  other  commands  should  come. 
As  all  were  on  the  lookout  for  him,  of  course  the 
dfferent  commands  would  lose  no  time  in  reaching 
the  scene  of  action.  The  English  completely 
abandoned  the  crossing  in  front  of  De  Wet  and 
made  a  hurried  advance  on  the  detachment.  When 
1200  yards  away  the  detachment  opened  fire  on 
the  English  and  a  short  skirmish  took  place.  At 
this  moment  De  Wet  rushed  to  the  river,  crossed 
it  and  put  his  men  in  fighting  order  to  protect  the 
detachment  which  he  expected  every  moment. 

233 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

After  firing  a  few  shots,  the  detachment  dropped 
behind  the  hill  from  which  they  had  been  firing, 
mounted  their  horses,  put  in  the  spurs  and  soon 
joined  the  wily  De  Wet  across  the  river.  Again 
the  English  were  easily  outwitted  and  De  Wet 
was  once  more  in  the  Free  State.  He  had  to  fight 
his  way  all  through  the  Free  State,  but  the  English 
were  afraid  of  him,  and  he  reached  his  destination 
at  Heilbron  without  loss  of  time. 

He  had  now  made  a  round  trip  of  about  a  thousand 
miles,  had  had  many  skirmishes,  successfully  fought 
two  battles  and  landed  home  with  but  little  loss. 
His  trip  had  a  great  moral  effect  on  the  English 
army,  the  people  of  Cape  Colony  and  Cape  Town. 
The  news  of  his  invasion  of  Cape  Colony  had 
spread  all  over  South  Africa  and  had  reached  Lon- 
don. The  English  element  in  Cape  Town  and 
throughout  the  colony  were  crazy  with  fright,  for 
all  men  were  sure  that  De  Wet  would  lay  waste 
the  country  as  the  English  had  the  Transvaal  and 
Free  State.  The  English  forces  in  the  Colony  were 
concentrated  that  they  might  make  a  successful 
defense  when  De  Wet  should  attack. 

Lord  Kitchener  and  his  numerous  force  of  cricket- 
ers felt  the  cold  chill  running  down  their  backs  and 
were  at  their  wit's  end  to  make  out  a  report  that 
would  so  mislead  the  English  papers  that  they 
would  not  express  any  regret  at  having  presented 
Lord  Roberts  with  $500,000  and  an  earldom  for 

234 


Kitchener  Asks  for  More  Troops 

his  proclamations,  and  for  declaring  that  the  war 
was  at  an  end.  All  were  so  undone  and  such  ner- 
vous wrecks  that  they  did  not  remember  that  Conan 
Doyle  had  also  declared  that  the  war  was  over. 

I  think  General  De  Wet  made  a  great  mistake 
in  returning  to  the  Free  State  so  soon.  With  his 
energy,  his  ability,  his  prestige  and  men  he  should 
have  gone  to  the  De  Aar  Junction,  destroyed  that 
most  important  railway  point  and  then  followed 
the  railway  towards  Cape  Town,  destroying  it  and 
all  the  bridges  on  his  way.  Such  were  the  con- 
ditions in  Cape  Town  at  the  time  that  had  he  gone 
ahead  and  penetrated  as  far  as  the  Paarl,  it  is  safe 
to  conclude  that  he  would  have  received  at 
least  15,000  recruits,  and  these  Colonial  Boers  can- 
not be  surpassed  for  fighting  qualities.  Having 
done  this,  before  retracing  his  steps  he  would  have 
had  an  army  20,000  strong  before  he  reached  the 
Orange  River.  I  always  felt  that  the  war  should 
have  been  carried  into  Cape  Colony  and  there  fin- 
ished, for  the  people  were  ripe  for  rebellion,  and 
had  Generals  Botha,  De  Wet  and  de  la  Rey  gone 
there  with  their  commands  it  is  certain  that  they 
would  have  risen,  as  one,  and  all  joined  the  Boers. 
This  would  have  meant  the  defeat  and  downfall  of 
the  English  army  and  the  independence  of  the 
Africander  race  throughout  South  Africa.  But 
they  didn't  go  there,  and  the  Africander  race  has 
yet  to  free  itself. 

235 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

During  this  month  of  February  neither  General 
de  la  Rey  nor  the  English  did  anything  worth  re- 
cording. The  English  remained  close  in  their  forts, 
and  General  de  la  Rey  was  satisfied  to  rest  his 
men  and  give  his  horses  a  chance  to  recuperate 
and  fatten  up. 


236 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HORSES,   MULES   AND  MEN  ARRIVE    FROM   AMER- 
ICA— THE   AUTHOR  AND    MAJOR    PRETORIUS 
MAKE  A  LONG  RIDE  WITH  DESPATCHES — 
AN  EXCITING  TRIP. 

Now  I  come  to  the  month  of  March,  during 
which  but  little  was  done  except  in  Cape  Colony 
and  de  la  Key's  district  of  the  Western  Transvaal. 
General  Louis  Botha  was  at  Ermelo  and  the  var- 
ious commands  were  in  their  respective  districts  on 
the  high  veldt.  The  English  did  not  come  out 
because  enough  mules  and  horses  had  not  yet 
arrived  from  America. 

We  all  had  a  quiet  but  good  time  lying  in 
laager,  smoking  our  pipes  and  growing  fat  on 
mealie  pap  (ordinary  corn  meal  mush)  and  fresh 
beef.  In  the  Free  State  General  De  Wet  had  a 
few  little  skirmishes  and  a  few  of  his  commandos 
had  a  brush  with  the  enemy,  but  little  or  no  damage 
was  done.  It  seemed  that  the  peace  confab  between 
Lord  Kitchener  and  General  Botha  in  the  latter 
part  of  February  had  a  soothing  and  quieting 
effect  on  everybody.  In  Cape  Colony,  General 
Kritsinger,  Commandants  Malan,  Fouche,  Hertzog 
and  George  Brand  were  going  at  a  lively  pace  in 

237 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

many  of  the  districts.  They  seemed  to  continue 
to  have  their  own  way  and  keep  the  English  on 
the  constant  jump,  and  captured  many  prisoners. 
All  of  them  supplied  themselves  and  men  with  at 
least  two  horses  each,  and  the  English  were  kind 
enough  to  give  them  plenty  of  ammunition.  So 
the  Boers  in  Cape  Colony  had  no  reason  to  complain. 
In  the  western  division  of  the  Transvaal,  General 
de  la  Key's  commandos  had  some  pretty  hard 
fights.  The  general  attacked  Lichtenburg  and 
gave  the  English  a  good  pounding.  Had  not  re- 
inforcements arrived  just  in  time,he  wouldhavehad 
the  town  and  the  English  garrison.  But  as  it  was, 
he  was  forced  to  retire.  One  of  his  commandos 
near  Klerksdorp  attacked  the  English  and  forced 
them  to  retire.  Near  Kaffir  Kraal  General  de  la 
Rey  had  another  fight,  and  although  the  English 
suffered  severely,  they  were  too  many  for  him  and 
captured  his  guns.  The  lieutenant  in  charge  of 
the  artillery  was  not  to  blame,  however,  for  he 
was  deceived  by  one  of  those  Anglo-Africans  who 
came  to  him  and  told  him  that  General  de  la  Rey 
wished  the  guns.  Having  obeyed  he  found  him- 
self and  guns  in  the  hands  of  the  English.  As 
this  Anglo- African  was  evidently  a  burgher,  the 
lieutenant  thought  nothing  about  it  further  than 
to  obey  instructions.  Damn  all  Anglos,  whether 
Americans,  Boers,  German,  French  or  whatever 
then*  nationality. 

238 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

Along  the  line  of  the  Magaliesburg  Mountains  a 
few  shots  were  daily  exchanged  between  the 
English  and  the  Boers,  the  English  in  the  forts 
and  the  Boers  in  the  foothills,  but  no  actual  fight- 
ing took  place.  General  Beyers  in  the  north  was 
inactive,  too,  after  he  and  General  Plumer  had  had 
some  hot  fights,  when  the  latter  came  to  occupy 
the  little  town  of  Pietersburg,  180  miles  north  of 
Pretoria. 

General  Beyers  had  but  a  small  command,  but  he 
kept  General  Plumer's  force  busy  throwing  up 
earthworks  and  preparing  all  sorts  of  defences. 
General  Beyers  placed  his  headquarters  between 
Pietersburg  and  Pretoria  and  not  far  from  the  rail- 
way line,  that  he  might  continue  to  trouble  the 
big  force  at  Pietersburg. 

Now  I  come  to  the  month  of  April,  when  suffi- 
cient horses,  mules  and  men  had  arrived  from  the 
United  States  of  America  for  Lord  Kitchener  to 
put  sixty-three  mobile  columns  in  the  field,  so  the 
reader  may  be  sure  that  the  Boers  had  to  make  use 
of  all  of  their  natural  wits  to  outwit  the  English. 
They  did  well,  covered  themselves  with  glory  and 
again  put  the  great  English  army  to  shame.  The 
reader  must  remember  at  this  time  the  actual  fight- 
ing Boers  numbered  very  nearly  30,000  men  and  no 
more.  There  were  also  on  the  farms  several  thou- 
sand women  and  old  men,  non-combatants,  and 
children.  I  hope  this  will  be  remembered,  for  now 

239 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

comes  the  most  interesting  and  marvelous  part  of 
the  war. 

During  the  next  twelve  months,  the  wonderful 
fighting  qualities  of  the  real  fighting  Boer  came 
out  and  astonished  the  world,  while  the  English 
army  by  its  pitiful  stupidity  and  un worthiness,  be- 
comes immortalized  in  the  history  of  a  fast  declin- 
ing and  degenerated  Empire.  General  Ben  Viljoen 
and  "  Fighting  Bill, "  General  Muller,  learned 
that  a  large  convoy  was  leaving  Machadadorp  on  the 
Delagoa  railway  line  for  Lydenburg,  where  there 
was  a  large  English  command.  They  resolved  to 
try  to  take  it,  and  with  nearly  500  fine  soldiers  and 
determined  men  they  left  their  laager,  marched 
about  thirty  miles  and  concealed  themselves 
near  the  main  road  to  Lydenburg.  At  last,  after 
waiting  a  day  and  a  night,  the  convoy  with  six  or 
seven  hundred  escort  came  in  sight,  and  all  the 
boys  gazed  at  it  with  eager  eyes.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came,  till  it  came  too  near  and  the 
boys  could  not  wait  any  longer.  Off  they  went 
for  it,  fired  a  few  shots,  the  escort  fled,  and 
the  boys  brought  back  about  100  loaded  wagons 
with  them.  I  tell  you,  the  Tommies  don't  like  the 
looks  of  the  Boers  when  they  come  fast,  and  they 
put  themselves  out  of  danger  as  quickly  as  their 
horses  can  take  them.  Once  again  the  English 
have  supplied  the  Johannesburg  commando  with 
food,  clothing  and  ammunition. 

240 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

General  Chris.  Botha  in  the  Vryheid  district, 
like  General  Viljoen  and  General  Muller,  helps 
himself  to  a  convoy  that  plentifully  supplies  him 
with  all  that  is  necessary  in  the  way  of  food, 
clothing  and  ammunition,  but  the  escort  were  all 
fortunate  enough  to  escape. 

Commandant  Grobler  ran  against  a  large  column 
of  English  five  times  his  number,  gave  them  a  good 
short  fight  and  then  retreated  as  rapidly  as  he 
could.  General  Louis  Botha  and  General  Chris. 
Botha  attacked  a  column  3,000  strong  at  Spitz 
Kop  near  Ermelo  and  kept  these  3,000  Tommies 
moving  lively  all  day.  I  really  believe  the  Eng- 
lish cavalry  would  do  well  if  so  many  of  them  did 
not  fall  off  when  at  a  swift  pace,  and  if  they 
would  not  stampede  and  every  man  run  for  his  life 
because  a  shell  exploded  near  them.  Here  I  saw 
over  600  cavalry  put  to  flight  by  one  shell  from  a 
French  gun  so  directed  by  Major  Pretorius  that  it 
struck  and  exploded  in  their  midst.  Major  Pre- 
torius had  about  twenty  men  with  him,  but  the 
600  Tommies  had  not  lost  any  Boer  guns  and 
were  not  looking  for  any.  As  this  body  of  600 
cavalry  fled,  several  troopers  fell  off  their  horses 
and  followed  their  fast  flying  comrades  on  foot. 
If  the  cavalry  of  other  European  countries  is  as 
bad  as  the  English  cavalry,  my  advice  to  them  is  to 
fight  shy  of  the  American  cavalry  —  if  it  comes  to 
a  fight.  This  column  intended  to  camp  near 

241 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Ermelo,but  concluded  that  it  was  too  warm  for  them 
and  went  several  miles  towards  Carolina  before 
going  into  camp. 

Now  there  was  a  rest  in  this  part  of  the  world  for 
about  two  weeks,  and  then,  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  the 
English  columns  fairly  covered  the  whole  high 
veldt,  fifteen  columns  having  shown  up  at  one 
time.  This  was  on  the  29th  of  the  month,  so  I  will 
wait  until  the  next  month,  May,  to  tell  all  that 
happened. 

On  this  very  day  Major  Pretorius,  Gustave  Prel- 
ler  and  myself  started  on  a  round  trip  of  480  miles 
to  the  Western  Transvaal  with  despatches  for  Gen- 
eral de  la  Rey.  We  saw  something,  and  before  I 
forget  it  I  must  tell  our  experience.  It  was  a  peril- 
ous journey,  but  we  felt  confident  that  we  would 
deliver  the  despatches  and  return  to  General  Louis 
Botha  with  the  replies.  With  a  cart  and  four 
mules  driven  by  a  Pondo  Kaffir,  Kleinveld  by 
name,  two  pack  horses,  and  three  riding  horses, 
we  started.  On  arriving  at  Olifantsfontein,  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  Johannesburg-Pretoria 
railway  line,  we  learned  that  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  keep  the  cart  with  us  because  the  English 
had  every  crossing  so  well  guarded. 

We  decided  to  leave  it,  its  Kaffir  driver  and  the 
young  burgher,  Van  Rensberg,  and  go  ahead  with 
the  two  pack  horses.  Young  Van  Rensberg,  a 
brave  and  noble  boy,  was  instructed  to  await  our 

242 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

return,  but  if  the  English  should  show  up  before 
we  did,  he  was  to  use  his  own  judgment  and  save 
himself,  cart  and  mules.  Off  we  went,  and  on 
reaching  a  ridge  about  nine  miles  from  the  railway 
line  we  stopped,  brought  out  our  field  glasses  and 
found  that  the  English  were  numerous  all  along 
the  line.  But  we  must  pass  through,  and  that  was 
all  there  was  to  it;  so  we  decided  to  pass  the  line 
very  near  to  Olifantsfontein,  because  the  English 
wouldn't  think  for  a  moment  that  any  Boers  would 
dare  to  take  such  desperate  chances.  We  waited 
till  the  sun  was  down.  It  was  the  3rd  of  May  and 
the  full  moon  came  up  in  all  her  glory  just  as  the 
sun  dropped  below  the  horizon.  It  seemed  to  us 
that  it  was  as  light  as  day,  but  go  we  must,  and  we 
did  go.  At  about  eight  o'clock  p.  m.  Major 
Pretorius  said,  "There  is  a  line,"  and  there  it  was. 
Cautiously  we  approached  it,  then  crossed  it  and 
smiled  a  heavenly  smile  as  we  looked  at  the  Tom- 
mies 600  yards  away  at  the  station,  smoking,  tell- 
ing jokes  and  laughing  by  their  camp  fires.  They 
had  no  guards  out,  and  we  passed  by  them  without 
interruption,  not  seeing  any  trouble  ahead.  We 
rode  on  for  a  mile,  stopped  and  rested  our  horses 
for  fifteen  minutes  and  then  went  on  our  way  to  the 
six-mile-spruit  near  Pretoria.  We  rode  till  one 
o'clock  a.  m.  and  we  knew  that  we  were  near  the 
Pretoria-Rustenberg  main  road,  so  we  decided  to 
stop,  sleep  until  daylight  and  then  hasten  to  Schur- 

243 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

weburg,  a  farm  settlement  just  twelve  miles  west 
of  Pretoria.  We  hobbled  our  horses  and  went  to 
sleep  on  the  dry  grass. 

Just  at  daylight  Major  Pretorius  stirred  us  up, 
and  we  caught,  saddled  and  packed  our  horses  and 
travelled  at  a  gallop,  because  we  were  very  near 
the  English  forts  on  the  hill  between  us  and  Pretoria. 
Just  as  the  sun  rose  we  were  crossing  an  arroya  (a 
spruit),  and  Preller  discovered  a  long  canvas  bag, 
well  filled,  by  the  roadside.  It  bore  the  name  of  one 
of  Kitchener's  scouts  and  had  evidently  fallen  from  a 
wagon  during  the  night.  The  numerous  horse  and 
wagon  tracks  convinced  us  that  we  were  very  near 
an  English  command  and  therefore  we  must  pro- 
ceed very  cautiously. 

About  one  and  a  half  miles  to  our  right  was  the 
little  farm  settlement  behind  a  ridge,  and  from  the 
great  column  of  black  smoke  that  was  rising  in 
the  air  we  concluded  that  the  English  must  be  there, 
engaged  in  a  fight  against  the  women  and  children 
and  burning  their  homes.  We  turned  to  our  right 
and  went  down  the  arroya  and  when  at  a  distance 
of  400  yards,  Major  Pretorius,  who  was  in  front, 
leaped  from  his  horse.  Preller  and  I  followed  suit. 
About  500  yards  to  his  left  Major  Pretorius  discov- 
ered fifteen  mounted  English  on  a  small  ridge  facing 
him.  Near  the  arroya  was  a  small  clump  of  bush 
and  in  it  we  concealed  our  five  horses  as  best  we 
could.  The  Major  and  Preller  crawled  up  a  hill 

244 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

about  sixty  yards  away  to  try  and  find  out  where 
the  camp  was,  while  I  was  to  stay  with  the  horses 
and  keep  an  eye  on  the  smoke.  In  a  few  moments 
I  discovered  between  us  and  the  smoking  farm  set- 
tlement, at  a  distance  of  about  800  yards,  some  400 
cavalrymen,  all  dismounted.  The  major  had  also 
discovered  them  and  traveled  back  to  tell  me. 

We  now  realized  that  we  were  in  a  bad  box,  and 
that  it  looked  as  if  there  was  no  hope  to  escape* 
for  should  we  try  to  go  back  towards  Pretoria  we 
would  be  discovered  and  driven  into  that  town  and 
captured.  In  a  few  minutes  the  400  cavalry  mount- 
ed their  horses  and  came  up  the  arroya  towards  us, 
crossed  it  about  300  yards  below  us,  passed  about  the 
same  distance  to  our  left  and  finally  dismounted  in 
the  road  just  where  a  few  minutes  before  we  had 
picked  up  the  bag.  They  were  now  about  400 
yards  from  us  and  in  plain  view.  Suddenly  they 
mounted  their  horses,  formed  a  semi-circle  around 
us,  in  line  of  skirmishers,  and  began  to  fire,  but  in 
an  opposite  direction  to  us.  Another  100  cavalry 
came  up  the  arroya  from  the  burning  houses,  driv- 
ing some  sheep,  and  passed  behind  us  no  more  than 
seventy-five  yards  away.  We  heard  distinctly  all 
they  said  about  burning  and  plundering  the  farm- 
houses. The  firing  became  general  all  about  us- 
Then  we  knew  that  some  Boers  had  attacked  the 
English,  yet  there  was  no  possible  chance  for  us  to 
escape  as  far  as  we  could  see. 

245 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

We  all  shook  hands,  and  swore  that  we  would 
not  surrender,  and  having  concealed  the  few  valu- 
ables we  had,  we  waited  for  the  English  to  discover 
us.  Should  they  kill  us  they  would  get  nothing 
bat  our  horses,  and  as  a  last  resort  we  were  going 
to  mount  our  horses  and  run  for  our  lives.  The 
fight  lasted  till  10.30  a.  m.,  about  three  and  one 
half  hours,  and  then  the  English  formed  columns, 
took  their  wagons  and  cannon  and  started  for 
Pretoria.  They  had  gone  about  800  yards  when 
they  halted  and  dismounted.  We  did  not  like  this, 
so  we  mounted  our  horses,  rode  down  the  arroya 
about  300  yards  till  we  came  to  the  wagon 
road  that  led  to  the  farm  settlement,  and 
then  put  spurs  and  were  away  at  full  gallop.  The 
English  stood  with  their  necks  stretched  like  a 
flock  of  geese  and  gazed  intently  at  us,  but  never 
fired  a  shot.  We  passed  near  five  Boers  in  a  kopje 
who  were  about  firing  on  us,  but  seeing  our  pack 
horses  they  refrained.  They  could  not  understand 
how  we  could  be  Boers  and  come  from  the  English 
lines,  yet  they  knew  that  none  but  Boers  had  pack 
horses. 

On  reaching  the  farm  settlement  we  found  the 
houses  were  not  burnt,  but  the  barns  and  all  food 
supplies  were  destroyed  and  hundreds  of  women 
and  children  left  to  starve.  The  object  of  this 
was  to  force  the  women  and  children  to  go  to 
Pretoria  and  ask  for  supplies  of  food.  Lord  Kit- 

246 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

chener  would  then  send  them  to  one  of  his  prison 
camps  for  women  andjchildren,and  cable  to  London 
that  some  200  women  and  children  from 
Schurweburg  had  come  to  him  as  refugees, 
seeking  his  protection,  as  all  were  in  a  starving  con- 
dition. The  Boers  who  had  been  fighting  the 
English  soon  came  in  and  reported  their  morning's 
work.  We  knew  every  one  of  them  personally 
and  were  glad  to  see  them  again.  When  the  fight 
began  only  six  of  the  110  men  had  horses,  but 
when  it  ended  they  had  nineteen  more  and  six 
mules  and  one  wagon  loaded  with  supplies  which 
they  had  captured  from  the  English.  With  the 
mules  they  could  now  mount  thirty-one  of  the  110 
men. 

During  the  fight  a  little  fifteen-year-old  boy  by 
the  name  of  Pretorius  had  walked  about  three 
miles  to  a  point  from  which  he  could  see  if  there 
were  any  more  English  coming  from  any  quarter. 
He  remained  too  long,  and  when  lie  saw  the 
English  columns  returning  to  Pretoria,  it  was  too 
late  for  him  to  run  and  save  himself.  He  had  no 
idea  that  the  English  engaged  in  the  fight  intend- 
ed to  return  to  Pretoria  so  soon. 

He  followed  the  Boer  instinct  to  save  himself, 
and  he  crawled  into  an  ant-bear  hole  about  forty 
yards  from  the  road  and  pulled  his  rifle  with  him. 
The  whole  column  passed  him  by  and  when  he 
could  no  longer  hear  the  horses'  feet  beating  the 

247 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

road,  he  ventured  to  peep  out  and  see  his  position. 
He  saw  one  man  coming  at  a  gallop  about  a  half 
a  mile  away  and  he  knew  this  man  belonged  to  the 
column  that  had  passed  by,  so  he  lay  low  and 
watched  the  lone  trooper.  When  the  trooper  was 
about  forty  yards  away  little  Pretorius  jumped  out 
of  the  hole,  threw  his  rifle  into  position  and  called 
out,  "Hands  upl"  The  trooper  was  an  English 
sergeant  and  thought  at  first  that  the  little  boy 
was  joking,  but  soon  saw  that  he  was  in  earnest, 
and  at  once  surrendered.  Little  Pretorius  made 
him  lay  down  his  rifle,  ammunition,  and  so  forth, 
and  then  started  him  on  his  way  on  foot.  After 
the  trooper  had  gone  about  100  yards  the  little  boy 
with  two  rifles,  plenty  of  ammunition  and  a  fine 
horse,  bridle  and  saddle,  went  cantering  away  to 
the  farm  settlements.  On  his  arrival  he  was  the 
hero  of  the  hour,  and  every  one,  men,  women  and 
children,  congratulated  him  on  his  pluck  and  good 
soldier  sense.  Now  thirty-two  of  the  110  men 
were  mounted. 

We  stopped  here  for  three  days  to  rest  ourselves 
and  horses  and  to  have  new  shoes  put  on  the  horses, 
for  we  had  to  pass  through  a  very  rocky  country. 
We  learned  that  the  English  forts  were  very  nu- 
merous between  us  and  General  de  la  Rey,  and  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  pass  them  by  without  being 
captured,  but  we  must  take  the  chance.  Here  we 
first  met  the  famous  Boer  Spy,  Captain  Naude,  a 

248 


1     T3 

a  5 


'SI 


|Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

young  man  about  twenty-three  years  old.  In  due 
time  I  will  tell  all  about  him  and  his  marvelous  spy 
system  in  Pretoria  and  Johannesburg.  While  hi  this 
farm  settlement  he  and  a  few  boys  went  into  Pretoria 
every  night  and  brought  out  a  good  bunch  of  the 
officers'  horses,  bridles  and  saddles,  so  that  by  the 
time  we  said  good-bye  to  all  and  started  on  our 
long  journey,  seventy  of  the  110  men  were  mounted. 
We  arrived  at  this  farm  settlement  on  May  4th  and 
left  on  the  7th,  passed  near  Krugersdorp,  saw  the 
English  camps  about  there  and  went  down  through 
Heckpoort. 

We  were  now  about  three  miles  from  Nooitgedacht 
where  General  de  la  Rey  and  General  Beyers  had 
taken  General  Clement's  camp  and  killed,  wounded 
and  taken  prisoners  800  of  his  men.  Ahead  of 
us  we  could  see  a  long  line  of  English  forts,  so 
we  knew  that  there  must  be  Boers  in  the  Magal- 
iesburg  just  opposite  to  them.  We  moved  cautious- 
ly and  kept  our  eyes  on  the  forts.  When  nearly 
opposite  to  them  and  about  5,000  yards 
distant,  we  found  some  Boers,  and  I  tell  you  we 
felt  much  relieved.  The  English  had  spent  the 
previous  day  trying  to  shell  them  out,  but  had 
signally  failed.  We  could  not  learn  just  where 
General  de  la  Rey  was,  but  they  knew  he  was  some- 
where near  Mafeking  on  the  western  border.  We 
remained  here  for  the  night  and  learned  that  the 

249 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

English  had  forts  everywhere  in  front,  and  that  we 
must  be  very  careful. 

In  the  early  morning  we  started  to  run  the  gaunt- 
let and  pass  the  forts.  Each  rode  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  behind  the  other  for  about  an  hour  an 
a  half  and  then  we  found  ourselves  out  of  danger. 
Not  a  shot  was  fired  at  us,  yet  we  were  directly 
under  them  and  not  3,000  yards  away.  We  crossed 
a  small  mountain  and  were  then  in  a  great,  wide 
rolling  prairie,  with  Ventersdorp  about  five  hours' 
ride  to  the  left. 

The  many  English  graves  we  daily  passed  showed 
that  heavy  fighting  had  taken  place  along  the 
whole  line  of  the  Magielesberg.  On  reaching  a 
tall  ridge  we  could  see  immense  forts  on  all  high 
prominences  in  our  front,  and  we  were  much  puz- 
zled as  to  how  we  could  safely  pass  them.  We 
would  stop  and  use  our  glasses  frequently,  be- 
cause we  were  on  risky  ground.  There  was  one 
large  fort  that  was  directly  in  our  way,  and  we 
could  not  see  how  we  could  possibly  pass  it  without 
going  at  full  speed,  and  our  horses  were  too  tired 
to  do  this.  We  slowly  approached  till  within  a 
thousand  yards  of  this  place,  when  we  dismounted, 
sat  down  to  rest  and  made  the  best  possible  use  of 
our  glasses.  We  had  excellent  glasses,  and  for 
one  hour  there  was  not  a  second  passed  without  at 
least  one  of  us  having  the  glasses  nailed  on  that 

250 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

fort.  It  was  about  noon  time,  and  to  save  us  we 
could  not  see  the  slightest  sign  of  life  about  the 
fort.  We  concluded  there  was  no  one  in  it  and  we 
decided  to  take  our  chances  and  ride  by  it.  We 
guessed  right,  and  at  a  kraal  near  by  the  Kaffirs  told 
us  that  the  English  had  left  the  fort  the  day  before. 
This  fort  would  accommodate  about  1,000  men,  so 
we  knew  that  many  English  were  prowling  about 
somewhere  and  that  we  must  keep  a  sharp  lookout. 
We  moved  on  rapidly,  passed  many  of  the  forts,  but 
were  not  delayed  by  any  of  them.  Our  horses 
were  very  tired  and  so  were  we,  when  we  reached 
one  of  General  de  la  Key's  commandos  on  May 
10th.  We  felt  relieved,  for  now  we  were  sure 
that  the  despatches  would  be  delivered  and  we 
could  take  a  long  rest.  We  were  told  that  Gen- 
eral de  la  Rey  was  at  Mafeking,  but  would  return 
in  two  or  three  days.  In  due  time  we  learned  that 
he  had  returned  and  that  he  was  with  his  laager 
about  six  miles  away.  We  went  to  see  him,  and 
there  we  found  with  him  one  of  his  bravest  and 
most  dashing  fighters,  General  Kemp.  We  deliv- 
ered the  despatches,  he  wrote  his  replies,  and  in 
one  hour  was  gone  to  see  one  of  his  commandos 
twenty-five  miles  away,  to  get  matters  in  readiness 
for  a  fight.  He  had  one  horse,  worth  about  twenty 
dollars,  a  mackintosh,  a  revolver  and  a  pair  of 
glasses.  With  him  was  his  son  and  Secretary 
Ferrera.  He  eats  with  his  burghers,  shares  their 

251 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

blankets  and  carries  practically  no  staff.  He 
makes  every  man  fight. 

Within  an  hour  after  his  departure  a  most  im- 
pontant  despatch  arrived  from  General  De  Wet 
telling  him  that  he  must  come  at  once  and  see 
him  in  the  Free  State,  for  it  was  on  a  serious  mat- 
ter that  they  must  act.  The  despatch  was  for- 
warded to  the  general  in  haste.  We  remained 
here  a  few  days  with  General  Kemp  to  give  our 
horses  a  good  rest  for  the  return  journey.  We 
had  bread  to  eat  and  it  was  the  first  we  had  tasted 
for  many  months.  At  night,  General  de  la  Key 
had  the  ground  plowed,  the  corn  planted,  and 
the  wheat  sowed,  so  that  he  always  had  plenty  of 
everything  to  eat  in  the  way  of  bread,  mealie  pap, 
pumpkins,  sweet  potatoes,  Irish,  etc. 

On  the  22nd  of  May  we  started  back  on  the  same 
route  by  which  we  had  come.  Two  days  after 
leaving  General  Kemp  we  heard  heavy  cannonad- 
ing,as  if  some  one  had  attacked  somebody  else.  We 
were  sure  that  General  Kemp  had  a  hand  in  it,  be- 
cause he  was  always  looking  for  a  fight  and  he 
was  in  that  direction.  We  passed  back  through 
the  English  lines  without  any  trouble  whatever, 
and  arrived  at  the  farm  settlements  we  had  left  on 
the  7th  of  May,  on  June  2nd.  Seventy  of  the  110 
men  were  mounted  when  we  left  and  on  our  re- 
turn the  entire  number  was  mounted  and  they  had 
some  forty  horses  to  spare. 

252 


CAPTAIN  J.  J.   NAUDE 
The  Great  Boer  Spy. 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

Veldtcornet  Pretorius  and  Veldtcornet  Jones 
were  in  command  and  both  were  brave,  energetic 
and  daring  commanders.  We  remained  here  till 
June  7th  to  rest  ourselves  and  horses  and  try  to 
find  out  what  had  happened  on  the  high  veldt  since 
we  left.  All  we  could  learn  was  that  it  was  covered 
with  English  camps  and  that  Bapsfontein,  just 
across  the  railway  line,  was  still  free  of  English. 
This  was  good  news  to  us,  for  we  left  our  cart  and 
mules  at  Olifantsfontein,  just  six  miles  further 
on  than  Bapsfontein.  Captain  Naude,  the  famous 
spy,  and  six  other  men  joined  us  to  go  to  the  high 
veldt.  They  had  helped  to  rid  all  the  stables  at 
Pretoria  of  the  English  officers'  horses,  bridles,  and 
saddles  and  now  they  are  seeking  new  fields  for 
adventure. 

We  started  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  June  7th,  in  order  that  we  might  be  near  the 
railway  line  before  sundown.  There  was  no  moon 
now,  and  as  it  was  cloudy,  heavy  weather,  the  night 
was  sure  to  be  very  dark.  Veldtcornet  Jones  went 
with  us  a  part  of  the  way  to  be  sure  that  we  would 
strike  the  line  at  the  safest  place  to  cross.  Night 
came  and  we  made  for  the  line.  It  was  so  dark 
we  had  to  keep  in  touch  almost,  or  otherwise  we 
would  be  separated  and  lose  each  other.  To  make 
bad  matters  worse,  a  slow  rain  set  in  and  we  could 
not  tell  whether  we  were  going  north,  south,  east 
or  west. 

253 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

I  remember  one  laughable  incident  which  I  must 
tell  about,  for  it  will  require  only  half  a  dozen 
words.  We  had  been  wading  through  cornfields, 
reeds,  muddy  spruits  and  so  forth  for  some  time, 
but  were  getting  along  all  right  when  we  suddenly 
heard  a  most  terrible  splash.  Oom  Koos  Bosch, 
horse  and  all,  had  suddenly  disappeared  in  a  deep 
pool  of  water  that  the  rest  of  us  had  by  mere  luck 
escaped.  We  dragged  him  out,  and  after  half  an 
hour's  hard  work  managed  to  get  his  horse  out  too. 
The  banks  were  very  steep  and  quite  high.  When 
La  Blanche,  his  son-in-law,  heard  Oom  Koos'  voice, 
he  rushed  back  to  his  assistance  and  in  he  went  too, 
so  we  had  to  drag  him  out.  It  was  a  laughable 
affair,  but  both  were  so  mad  that  one  would  have 
to  take  his  life  in  his  hand  if  he  dared  to  give  an 
audible  smile. 

We  went  on  and  rambled  for  hours  trying  to 
find  the  railway  line.  About  nine  o'clock  all  the 
large  flash  lights  at  various  stations  began  to  work. 
It  was  a  sudden  change  from  pitch  darkness  to  al- 
most broad  daylight.  We  at  once  saw  that  we  were 
very  near  the  line  and  had  the  English  opened  their 
eyes  they  would  have  at  once  seen  that  we  were  near 
it.  We  had  to  hurry  now,  for  the  flash  lights  were 
playing  all  about  us  and  we  could  see  the  entire 
line  from  Pretoria  to  Johannesburg.  Soon  we 
reached  the  line  near  Kalfontein  station,  and  cut 
some  thirty  or  forty  barbed  wires,  the  field  telegraph 

254 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

and  main  wires,  then  crossed  some  deep  ditches,  then 
the  railway  track,  then  some  more  deep  ditches,  and 
then  cut  thirty  or  forty  more  barbed  wires  and 
were  free  to  go  our  way,  and  be  assured  that  we 
lost  no  time  in  going,  for  we  were  within  five  hun- 
dred yards  of  a  big  camp  at  the  station.  Soon  we 
were  as  "safe  as  the  people  in  Piccadilly,"  but  hav- 
ing passed  over  a  ridge,  we  were  enveloped  in  pitch 
darkness  again  and  the  rain  was  still  falling.  We 
stopped  and  rested  ourselves  and  horses  for  an  hour, 
at  one  o'clock. in  the  morning.  Then  we  started 
again,  but  had  no  light  except  that  reflected  on  the 
clouds  behind  or  by  the  numerous  flash  lights,  so 
we  rambled  and  rambled  in  search  of  Bapsfontein, 
where  we  would  strike  a  big  road  that  would  lead 
us  straight  and  right.  Just  at  early  dawn  in  the 
morning  we  saw  several  specks  of  fire  and  some 
one  cried  out,  "  Look  out!  there  is  something  in 
front.  Don't  you  see  the  fire  in  their  pipes?" 
Some  laughed  at  the  remark  and  some  of  us  didn't, 
and  when  we  had  ridden  twenty  yards  further  out 
rang  the  cry  "Who  comes  there?"  and  it  was  "Who 
comes  there?"  along  a  very  long  line.  It  was  no 
laughing  matter  now,  and  like  a  lightning  flash 
we  whirled  about,  put  the  spurs  in  and  away  \ve 
went  at  a  full  gallop  regardless  of  the  awful  dark- 
ness. We  remained  together,  made  a  wide  circuit, 
and  having  galloped  for  about  a  mile,  we  stopped  on 
top  of  a  ridge  to  await  until  there  was  more  light. 

255 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

We  did  not  know  where  we  were,  and  we  must 
find  out.  Sure  we  were  that  an  English  camp  was 
near  us,  but  where  are  we?  When  there  was  a 
little  more  light  we  saw  a  farm  house  about  a  half 
mile  away,  and  two  of  the  Boer  boys  rode  to  find 
out  just  where  we  were. 

This  was  a  "Hands-uppers"  farm,  and  he  was  at 
home.  He  told  them  that  we  had  just  passed 
Bapsfontein,  where  there  were  camped  about  2,000 
English,  and  advised  us  to  move  rapidly  for  the 
reason  that  a  detachment  might  be  on  the  ridge 
in  a  few  minutes.  Fools  we  were,  but  we  never 
thought  about  the  fellow  being  a  "Hands-upper," 
otherwise  we  would  have  taken  him  and  his  two 
good  horses  that  were  feeding  near  by  us.  At 
Bapsfontein  we  had  actually  passed  between  the 
main  camp  and  the  guards,  and  that  is  why  they 
did  not  fire  at  us. 

We  now  went  on  for  three  miles,  for  we  knew 
now  just  where  we  were,  and  on  reaching  Kaffir 
Kraal,  where  there  were  plenty  of  mealies  (corn) 
we  stopped,  unsaddled  and  bought  a  good  feed 
for  all  our  horses.  While  here  we  saw  the  English 
scouts  on  the  ridge  behind  us  and  they  saw  us  too, 
but  made  no  move  to  disturb  us.  After  an  hour's 
rest,  we  saddled  up  and  rode  towards  Olifantsfon- 
tein  where  we  had  left  our  cart  and  mules.  When 
within  a  mile  of  this  place  we  took  up  a  gallop  and 
when  within  a  thousand  yards  we  saw  a  lot  of  fel- 

256 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

lows  preparing  to  fight.  We  came  down  to  a  walk , 
and  the  burghers  who  had  prepared  to  fight  saw 
that  we  were  burghers  too.  We  found  here  Gen- 
eral Piet  Viljoen,  but  not  our  cart  and  mules. 
Many  and  great  changes  had  taken  place  along  the 
scene  since  we  had  left  it  on  May  3rd.  No  one 
had  the  slightest  idea  where  General  Botha  or  our 
cart  and  mules  were,  but  all  could  tell  us  that  the 
whole  high  veldt  was  fairly  alive  with  English 
camps. 

We  remained  here  for  the  night  and  most  of  the 
following  day,  for  our  horses  had  been  under  the 
saddle  for  nineteen  hours  and  necessarily  they 
were  exceedingly  tired  as  well  as  ourselves.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  we  boldly  struck 
out  on  the  high  veldt  to  see  what  there  was  to  be 
seen.  On  the  llth  of  June  we  came  on  some  of 
the  boys  of  the  Bethel  commando  who  told  us  that 
"Fighting  Bill,"  General  Muller,  with  150  of  the 
Johannesburg  boys  had  just  taken  in  an  Australian 
camp  about  five  miles  away  and  captured  over 
300  men,  two  pom-poms,  with  4,000  shells  and 
some  400  horses.  This  was  good  news,  and  it  was 
correct,  too,  and  the  Australians  have  not  done 
much  bragging  since.  They  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  where  General  Botha  was,  but  told  us  to  look 
out,  for  the  Englishmen  were  here,  there,  and  so 
forth,  pointing  out  to  us  the  different  directions  of 
the  English  camps. 

257 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

We  went  ahead  towards  Tritchardtfontein,  which 
was  near  Bethel,  and  at  night  we  came  suddenly 
upon  Commandant  Hears  and  his  men.  Here  was 
a  spunky  little  commandant  who  had  wrecked  many 
trains  and  done  his  part  towards  worrying  the 
English.  He  did  not  know  where  General  Botha 
was,  nor  had  he  seen  or  heard  of  our  cart  and 
mules. 

We  camped  with  Mears  for  the  night,  and  early 
next  morning  started  out  towards  Bethel,  but  on 
seeing  a  lot  of  sheep  that  had  just  been  killed,  we 
changed  our  direction  for  Blauwkop,  because  the 
slaughtered  sheep  showed  us  that  the  English 
were  in  front.  We  reached  the  vicinity  of  Blauw- 
kop just  before  sundown,  and  to  our  great  surprise 
a  Boer  commando,  too.  A  greater  surprise  was 
still  in  store  for  us,  for  on  reaching  the  camp  there 
was  General  Britz,  another  brave  and  capable  offi- 
cer, with  his  commando,  President  Steyn,  General 
De  Wet  and  General  Hertzog,  of  the  Free  State, 
and  our  good  old  friend  whom  we  had  left  some 
three  weeks  back,  General  de  la  Rey.  It  is  un- 
necessary to  say  that  we  were  delighted,  yes,  over- 
joyed, at  our  good  luck,  and  as  we  all  knew  one 
another  well,  the  reader  may  be  assured  that  we 
spent  a  few  hours  most  pleasantly. 

I  must  here  mention  that  General  de  la  Rey 
and  I  each  really  first  made  out  what  the  other 
was.  During  our  short  conversation  three  weeks 

258 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

back  I  had  told  him  that  certain  conditions  prevailed 
in  another  section  and  that  to  me  matters  looked 
serious.  I  went  on  and  explained  everything  to 
him,  but  he  could  not  but  feel  that  I  must  be  mis- 
taken. Now  we  met  again,  and  the  first  thing  he  said 
to  me  was  "  You  were  right,  and  we  are  here  to  cor- 
rect and  put  things  right.  "  I  had  always  distrust- 
ed the  Acting  President,  Schalk  Burger,  and  I  had 
told  General  de  la  Rey  so  and  given  my  reasons. 
I  might  as  well  finish  up  with  this  meeting  before 
I  take  up  the  thread  of  happenings  in  April. 

On  the  following  day,  June  19th,  the  Free  State 
and  Transvaal  Governments  were  to  meet  at  Water- 
fall, about  twenty  miles  from  Standerton  and  about 
six  miles  from  a  large  English  camp.  Now  we 
would  see  General  Louis  Botha,  whom  we  had 
been  seeking,  and  all  the  big  bugs  at  one  and  the 
same  tune.  It  was  just  after  sundown  that  all 
saddled  up  and  started  for  Waterfall,  where  we 
arrived  late  at  night  and  soundly  slept. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  next  day  we  saw  a  long 
string  of  carts  hi  the  distance,  and  that  was  the 
approaching  Transvaal  Government.  Soon  they 
arrived  and  there  was  a  general  handshaking  all 
around.  Major  Pretorius  gave  General  de  la  Key's 
replies  to  General  Botha,  although  General  de  la 
Rey  was  there  himself.  In  addition  to  these  there 
were  present,  Acting  President  Schalk  Burger, 
Secretary  of  State  Reitz,  General  Ben  Viljoen, 

259 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

General  Smuts,  President  Steyn,  General  De  Wet, 
General  Hertzog,  Commandant  Ben  Bouwers, 
a  fine  young  officer,  Major  Pretorius  and  myself, 
and  about  200  burghers.  The  burghers  knew  that 
something  had  gone  wrong,  otherwise  President 
Steyn  would  not  have  taken  the  desperate  chance 
of  passing  through  so  many  English  lines  and  cross- 
ing a  well  guarded  railway  line.  In  crossing  this 
line  the  English  poured  a  heavy  fire  into  them  and 
exploded  a  dynamite  mine  that  had  been  carefully 
laid,  but  fortunately  President  Steyn  and  his  men 
were  clear  of  it  by  about  thirty  yards  when  the  ex- 
plosion took  place. 

Soon  the  council  of  war  assembled  and  the  secret 
leaked  out.  Acting  President  Schalk  Burger  and 
General  Botha  had  written  a  state  letter  to  Pres- 
ident Steyn  praying  for  a  general  surrender.  That 
is  the  gist  of  the  whole  long  letter.  The  council 
of  war  smashed  that  proposal  into  smithereens,  and 
deprived  all  generals  and  acting  presidents  of  the 
power  to  discuss  peace  terms  with  the  English 
without  the  consent  and  presence  of  President 
Steyn,  General  De  Wet  and  General  de  la  Rey.  I 
feel  to  this  day  that  Acting  President  Schalk 
Burger  was  directly  responsible  for  that  state  letter 
to  President  Steyn,  yet  I  cannot  understand  Gen- 
eral Botha  giving  his  sanction  to  it  by  allowing 
his  name  to  be  coupled  with  that  of  Schalk  Burger. 
Secretary  Reitz  in  his  official  position  had  to  sign 

260 


GENERAL  SMUTZ 

State  Attorney  General  of  the  Transvaal. 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  Prom  America 

it,  but  he  was  the  most  disgusted  man  I  ever  saw. 
Like  President  Steyn,  General  De  Wet  and  Gen- 
eral de  la  Rey,  Secretary  Reitz  was  as  staunch  a 
patriot  as  ever  breathed,  and  one  that  would  never 
say  die,  no  matter  what  the  conditions  might  be. 
He  was  game  during  the  war,  and  as  game  as  ever 
when  the  war  came  to  an  end. 

Here  were  the  two  Governments  with  no  more 
than  200  men,  in  the  very  midst  of  thousands  of 
English,  holding  a  confab  on  the  open  prairie  with- 
in six  miles  of  a  large  English  camp,  and  not  one 
present  in  the  least  concerned,  except  Schalk 
Burger,  who,  I  think,  was  pretty  nervous.  The 
English  are  wonderful  soldiers,  for  they  knew  that 
the  two  Governments  were  near  them  and  they  never 
made  the  slightest  effort  to  take  them  in. 

All  business  having  been  finished  and  matters 
corrected  and  put  right,  President  Steyn,  General 
De  Wet  and  General  de  la  Rey  started  back  to  run 
the  gauntlet  and  join  their  respective  commands. 
Major  Pretorius  and  I,  on  learning  that  General 
Smuts  and  Commandant  Ben  Bouwers  were  going 
with  a  good  commando  into  Cape  Colony,  tried  for 
permission  to  go  with  them,  but  were  not  allowed, 
much  to  our  disappointment. 

I  will  now  return  to  my  story  of  the  April  events 
in  all  parts.  I  have  made  quite  a  long  side  trip 
which  may  not  prove  to  be  of  interest  to  the  reader, 
but  I  assure  him  that  had  he  been  with  us  at  the 

261 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

end  of  April  he  would  have  been  equally  interest 
ed  with  ourselves.  As  it  was  at  the  very  end  of 
April  that  the  fifteen  English  columns  suddenly 
invaded  the  high  veldt,  I  will  leave  them  till  the 
first  of  May  and  go  into  the  Free  State.  But  little 
was  done  of  any  account,  a  little  skirmishing  here 
and  a  little  there  and  not  much  more,  for  the  English 
were  making  preparations  for  cornering  and  taking 
in  the  slippery  De  Wet  once  more. 

In  the  Colony  things  were  more  than  lively. 
General  George  Brand  had  captured  a  column  and 
frightened  two  or  three  others  half  to  death.  Gen- 
eral Kritsinger  by  his  dash  had  made  the  English 
believe  that  there  must  be  no  less  than  50,000 
Boers  in  Cape  Colony.  Commandants  Fouche, 
Scheepers,  Malan  and  others  were  daily  fighting  in 
the  different  districts  and  captured  several  convoys. 
In  fact,  Cape  Colony  was  truly  in  a  state  of  war, 
and  the  Boers  were  in  possession  of  the  country. 
Lord  Roberts  was  in  possession  of  his  $500,000 
and  his  earldom,  so  he  was  not  worrying,  but  Gen- 
eral French  was  walking  the  floor  day  and  night, 
for  he  realized  that  affairs  in  Cape  Colony  were  very 
dark,  and  the  position  of  the  English  in  great  jeo- 
pardy. Not  a  day  passed  without  fighting  during 
the  month,  and  it  was  certain  that  fighting  would 
continue  for  many  months  to  come,  for  the  Boer 
officers  were  superior  to  the  English  commanders 
and  could  lead  them  a  song-and- dance  wherever 

262 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

they  pleased.  In  the  Western  Transvaal  the  Eng- 
lish had  made  several  attempts  to  corner  General  de 
la  Rey,  but  he  was  not  to  be  cornered.  Near 
Klerksdorp  there  was  some  fighting  when  a  large 
force  of  English  pounced  on  General  Smuts  and 
deprived  him  of  one  cannon. 

The  English  reported  this  as  a  great  victory,  and 
I  will  tell  you  why.  They  think  far  more  of  los- 
ing one  cannon  than  they  do  of  losing  10,000 
Tommies,  for  they  consider  Tommies  as  cheaply 
made  in  England  as  the  Germans  could  manufac- 
ture them,  while  cannon  are  expensive  in  all  coun- 
tries. 

Throughout  the  month  troops  were  constant- 
ly shifting  about  in  the  Western  Transvaal,  but 
nothing  really  occurred  worthy  of  note,  as  no  change 
had  taken  place  at  Zeerust,  where  the  English  were 
still  penned  in.  Far  away  in  the  north  General 
Plumer  at  Pietersburg,  and  the  English  force  in  the 
East  at  Komati  Poort  by  a  combined  action  tried 
to  clear  the  whole  country  between  them  of 
Boers.  Their  task  was  easy,  because  there  were 
no  Boers  in  those  parts,  except  some  women  and 
children.  Their  homes  and  their  possessions  were 
burnt  and  destroyed  and  they  themselves  were  sent 
to  concentration  camps. 

The  English  spent  considerable  time  in  arming 
the  Kaffirs  and  giving  them  the  necessary  instruc- 
tions for  their  murderous  work.  Chief  Secockuni 

263 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  his  strong  force,  the  worst  Kaffirs  in  the  coun- 
try, had  already  been  armed  by  the  English  and 
were  near  Lydenburg  on  the  one  side  and  Rosene- 
kal  on  the  other.  These  very  Kaffirs  murdered 
many  men,  women,  and  children  with  those  Eng- 
lish guns  and  ammunition,  but  further  on  I  will  go 
into  the  details  of  this  dirtiest  and  most  barbarous 
work  of  the  English  army. 

Now  we  come  to  the  month  of  May,  and  a  very 
lively  one,  too.  General  Ben  Viljoen  and  Gen- 
eral Muller  crossed  the  railway  line  near  Balmoral 
Station,  and  left  the  six  pursuing  columns  all  to 
themselves  north  of  the  railway  line.  They  had 
simply  left  one  large  army  to  run  up  against  another 
stronger  still,  for  there  were  fifteen  columns  on  the 
high  veldt  bent  on  capturing  the  Government, 
General  Botha  and  all  the  high  veldt  burghers. 
All  these  columns  practically  distinguished  them- 
selves by  their  puerile  tactics.  Not  only  did  all  the 
burghers  easily  evade  them,  but  two  or  three  trek 
wagons  with  women  and  children  escaped  being 
captured.  Of  course  all  the  old  men  and  women 
who  remained  in  the  few  farm  houses  still  standing 
were  captured  and  taken  away.  Then  off  to  Lon- 
don would  go  a  flaming  report  of  so  many  burghers, 
horses  and  cattle  being  captured. 

The  English  would  enter  all  the  good  farm 
houses,  tear  up  the  floors,  and  dig,  dig,  dig  in  search 
of  money  and  jewelry  that  might  be  buried  under 

264 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  Prom  America 

the  floor.  Having  satisfied  themselves,  they  would 
then  burn  and  destroy  everything.  At  the  end 
of  this  month  there  was  not  a  farm  house  standing 
on  the  high  veldt. 

We  had  the  great  pleasure  of  seeing  about  600 
cavalry  charge  a  farm  house.  We  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  daring,  reckless  charge,  and  there  was 
not  a  man  among  that  600  that  did  not  eminently 
win  the  V.  C.  We  had  read  of  the  charge  of  the 
600  at  Balaclava,  and  in  imagination  had  often  tried 
to  draw  the  picture  so  glowingly  painted  by  one  of 
England's  poet  laureates ;  but  this  would  sink 
into  insignificance  and  pass  into  oblivion  if  only 
the  charge  of  the  600  on  the  farm  house  filled  with 
women  and  children  could  have  been  witnessed  and 
depicted  by  some  such  realistic  and  blood-curdling 
poet  as  Alfred  Austin  or  Rudyard  Kipling.  The 
one  would  never  again  have  to  describe  in  patriotic 
rhyme  Jameson's  raid,  nor  would  the  other  have  to 
live  in  "  Barroom  "  ballads,  for  so  delightfully  red 
would  the  words  that  each  could  have  drawn  from 
his  imagination  have  been,  that  they  could  have 
painted  in  thrilling  phrases  a  picture  so  bloody  and 
hair  raising  as  to  immortalize  them.  I  cannot  de- 
scribe this  charge.  It  was  too  much  for  me,  but 
we  seemed  to  hear  the  command,  "  Chargel  "  and  on 
they  came,  every  horse  with  distended  nostrils  and 
wild,  glaring  eyes  doing  his  best,  not  one  man  drop- 
ping from  the  pace,  not  one  faltering,  all  surely 

265 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

determined  to  do  or  die.  And  in  another  moment 
the  farm  house  is  taken  together  with  its  occupants, 
women  and  children,  who  filled  the  doors  and 
windows.  In  another  minute  all  were  driven  from 
the  house,  the  floors  torn  up,  search  for  money  and 
jewelry  made,  then  the  oil  spread  and  the  house 
consumed  in  flames. 

But,  you  ask  me  where  the  blood  is  to  come 
from  ?  I  will  tell  you.  Those  brave  men  set  to 
work  and  killed  over  one  hundred  chickens,  ducks 
and  geese,  several  pigs,  some  calves  and  2,000  sheep 
which  they  drove  into  the  sheep  kraal  and  killed 
with  the  bayonet.  They  were  two  and  three  deep, 
and  that  great  mass  of  butchered  sheep  were  rising 
and  falling  in  different  parts  for  many  days,  for 
many  were  still  alive  buried  under  others  and 
slowly  dying. 

I  had  seen  much  of  the  bloody  work  of  the 
Apache  Indians  far  away  in  Arizona,  but  I  had 
never  seen  anything  that  could  possibly  compare 
in  down  right  cruelty  to  this  piece  of  savagery  on 
the  part  of  the  English  soldiers.  The  prisoners  of 
war  in  the  way  of  women  and  children  were  now 
marched  off  and  driven  to  the  murderous  concen- 
tration camps,  and  a  stirring  report  of  the  daring 
charge  made  to  London,  the  bloody  end  being 
omitted.  This  famous  column  now  joined  with 
the  fourteen  others  and  all  began  to  chase  the  sev- 
eral Boer  commandos  who  were  scattered  about 

266 


Horses  and  Men  Arrive  From  America 

the  veldt.  Remember  that  the  high  veldt  is  a 
high  plateau  without  rocks  or  mountains,  and  it  is 
practically  impossible  for  any  command  to  conceal 
itself  from  the  English.  General  Louis  Botha 
and  the  Government  were  many  times  surrounded 
and  cornered,  but  at  picking  up  time,  they  were 
not  present. 

The  various  columns  continued  to  follow  them 
from  place  to  place  during  the  month,  but  no 
fighting  men  were  lost.  Quite  a  number  of  women 
and  children  were  captured  and  sent  to  the  con- 
centration camps  and  invariably  reported  as  so 
many  burghers. 

I  now  leave  the  English  and  Boers  moving  to 
and  fro  in  all  directions  till  the  end  of  the  month, 
and  when  all  the  high  veldt  is  reported  as  swept 
clean  of  Boer  commandos.  Just  before  the  end 
of  the  month  General  Ben  Viljoen  with  Comman- 
dant Mears  attacked  General  Plumer  near  Bethel 
and  were  prevented  from  taking  in  his  column  by 
the  captured  women  and  children  being  so  placed 
that  the  Boers  could  not  fire  without  killing  some 
of  them.  This  was  a  most  cowardly  piece  of  busi- 
ness, but  it  enabled  General  Plumer  to  rescue  his 
men,  with  the  exception  of  some  thirty  who  were 
taken  prisoners.  These  could  not  succeed  in  get- 
ting themselves  behind  the  women  and  children 
without  taking  serious  risk  of  being  shot.  Gener- 
al Plumer  was  satisfied  to  leave  also  a  few  horses 

267 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  several  thousand  sheep  which  he  had  hoped  to 
take  with  him  to  Standerton.  No  doubt  some  of 
those  brave  and  chivalrous  men  who  fought  behind 
those  Boer  women  and  children  were  recommended 
for  the  V.  C.  and  received  it,  such  is  the  inclination 
of  the  British  officer  to  report  imaginary  daring 
deeds  in  all  engagements  in  which  he  may  partici- 
pate. 


268 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DE  WET  CORNERED  AGAIN — DE  LA  REY  CORNERED 
TOO  —  GENERAL     KEMP    FIGHTS    A    GOOD 
FIGHT — THE   WAY   BY   WHICH    THE 
BOERS  SO  SUCCESSFULLY  OUT- 
WITTED THE  ENGLISH. 

In  many  parts  of  the  Free  State  several  skir- 
mishes took  place,  but  the  English  columns  gen- 
erally were  occupied  in  trying  to  corner  De  Wet. 
A  mighty  army  was  brought  to  bear  on  him,  for 
the  English  were  convinced  that,  once  he  was 
cornered  and  captured,  the  war  would  come  to  a 
sudden  end;  but  they  did  not  reckon  on  the  fact 
that  a  mighty  army  without  a  trace  of  military 
sense  to  guide  its  movements  was  a  very  harmless 
thing  in  the  presence  of  such  an  able  strategist  as 
General  De  Wet.  The  Free  State,  with  its  broad, 
grassy,  level  plains,  is  a  most  beautiful  country  for 
cavalry  and  artillery  operations,  and  although  the 
English  had  thousands  of  cavalry,  and  guns  with- 
out number,  yet  they  seemed  to  be  able  to  effect 
but  little  with  either,  or  the  two  combined.  They 
were  so  numerous  that  they  fell  over  each  other, 
and  in  the  scramble  General  De  Wet  managed  to 
pick  up  some  of  them.  In  Cape  Colony  matters 

269 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

were  daily  growing  worse  for  the  British,  and  the 
Boers,  ever  increasing  in  numbers,  were  very  active 
and  aggressive  in  many  districts.  General  Krit- 
singer  captured  a  convoy,  some  prisoners  and  one 
or  two  fortified  towns.  General  Brand  had  helped 
himself  to  one  of  the  English  supply  trains,  and 
Commandant  Malan  in  the  far  south  was  fighting 
and  accumulating  war  supplies.  Commandants 
Fouche,  Wessels,  Latigan  and  other  officers  were 
doing  good  work  in  their  respective  districts. 

In  fact,  there  was  daily  fighting  throughout  the 
Cape,  and  the  English  were  so  upset  and  worried  that 
they  scarcely  knew  how  to  defend  themselves.  In 
the  Western  Transvaal  General  de  la  Key's  com- 
mandos had  done  some  damage,  and  all  were  pro- 
gressing nicely.  Lord  Methuen  was  active  enough, 
but  his  columns  were  misguided  and  made  suffer 
severely.  Near  the  Maf eking  railway  line  General 
de  la  Rey  was  much  interested  in  several  columns 
that  were  trying  to  corner  and  capture  him.  He 
had  several  skirmishes  with  them,  took  some  pris- 
oners, among  them  being  three  burghers  who  had 
deserted  and  taken  up  arms  with  the  British. 
These  were  afterwards  shot,  and  the  English  were 
convinced  that  General  de  la  Rey  had  committed 
a  great  crime.  A  pity  it  is  that  all  the  other  Boer 
generals  did  not  commit  many  such  great  crimes 
in  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

When   these  numerous  columns  were  about  to 

270 


De  Wet  Cornered  Again 

make  it  veiy  warm  for  him,  General  de  la  Rey 
doubled  back  between  two  of  them  and  left  for 
other  parts.  It  was  a  week  before  Lord  Methuen 
discovered  that  his  bird  had  flown  and  was 
creating  trouble  elsewhere.  It  was  on  his  return 
from  his  Maf eking  expedition  that  Major  Pretorius 
and  myself  met  him  and  delivered  our  despatches. 
Some  time  ago  I  mentioned  something  about 
booming  cannon  in  our  rear  a  few  days  after  leav- 
ing General  Kemp,  with  whom  we  had  spent  a 
most  pleasant  week.  It  was  this  very  General 
Kemp,  who  was  always  seeking  a  fight,  that  caused 
all  that  noise  which  so  puzzled  us.  Shortly  after 
we  left,  General  Kemp's  scouts  reported  an  English 
column  moving  about  from  farm  to  farm  and  de- 
stroying all  of  them.  He  had  his  men  saddle  their 
horses,  and  off  they  went  in  search  of  this  column. 
They  found  it  at  Vlakfontein,  where  Major  Pre- 
torius and  I  had  slept  the  day  after  leaving  Gener- 
al Kemp.  He  set  the  grass  on  fire  to  conceal  his  men 
in  smoke,  advanced  to  within  short  range,  surprised 
General  Dixon  and  his  1,500  men,  and  in  a  short 
time  put  them  to  flight.  General  Kemp  killed 
and  wounded  over  200,  captured  more  than  100 
men  and  horses,  and  took  two  cannon,  which  they 
turned  on  the  fleeing  column.  This  was  a  good 
piece  of  work  accomplished  by  General  Kemp  and 
his  400  burghers.  General  Dixon  and  his  men 
never  stopped  running  till  far  away  from  all  dan- 

271 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

ger,  for  they  supposed  that  Kemp  must  have  had 
two  or  three  thousand  men.  No  better  men  ever 
lived  than  those  Krugersdorp  men,  and,  taking 
the  war  from  start  to  finish,  I  believe  they  did 
more  and  harder  fighting  than  any  other  commando 
in  the  field.  Like  the  Johannesburg  boys  they 
were  brave,  reckless,  dashing  patriots  who  defeated 
the  English  in  many  battlefields.  General  Beyers 
in  the  north  troubled  Pietersburg  a  great  deal,  but 
no  fighting  of  any  consequence  took  place.  He 
had  with  him  a  most  capable  man,  in  the  person  of 
Captain  Henry  Dutoit,  who  commanded  his  scouts. 
Captain  Dutoit  was  an  artillery  officer  and  was 
nearly  torn  to  pieces  at  the  battle  of  Modderspruit 
on  October  30,  1899.  He  was  patched  up  by  such 
able  and  competent  surgeons  as  Dr.  Max  Mehliss, 
Dr.  Lillepop,  and  Dr.  Wepner,  and  in  some  way 
managed  to  survive. 

A  year  afterwards  some  of  his  numerous  wounds 
were  still  open,  yet  he  was  one  of  the  most  active 
and  energetic  officers  in  the  field.  He  spurned  all 
danger  and  fought  like  a  very  tiger  to  the  end  of 
the  war. 

Now  I  come  to  the  month  of  June,  a  cold  bleak 
month  with  piercing  winds.  We  had  but  one 
blanket  each,  no  overcoats,  no  tents,  no  shelter  of 
any  description,  and  how  well  I  remember  how  near 
all  came  to  freezing  stiff  every  night.  Still  we 
had  to  keep  on  the  alert,  for  the  English  were 

272 


De  Wet -Cornered  Again 

on  all  sides  of  us.  They  had  burnt  the  entire  high 
veldt,  and  but  a  little  patch  of  grass  could  be  found 
here  and  there.  All  houses  were  burned,  all  prop- 
erty was  burned,  all  the  grass  was  burned,  and 
the  scene  was  a  most  dreary,  desolate  one. 

Before  relating  the  events  of  this  month  I  will 
try  to  tell  in  as  few  words  as  possible  how  we  lived 
and  managed  so  successfully  to  outwit  the  thousands 
of  English  about  us  and  with  whom  we  practically 
lived,  because  we  were  never  out  of  each  other's 
sight.  The  Boers  were  divided  up  into  small  bands 
100,  200  or  300  strong,  and  each  little  band 
went  as  it  pleased,  and  when  it  pleased,  but  gen- 
erally confined  itself  to  its  own  little  district. 
These  small  commands  were  always  in  close  touch 
with  each  other  and  could  quickly  come  together 
if  there  was  a  chance  of  taking  in  some  single  Eng- 
lish column  that  might  be  passing  by.  During  the 
day,  when  not  fighting,  we  would  camp  near  some 
old  ruins  where  we  would  find  a  little  patch  ol 
grass  that  had  escaped  the  fire.  The  English  would 
generally  see  us  and  we  were  sure  to  see  them  at  all 
times.  After  sunset  and  darkness  had  set  in,  we 
would  saddle  up,  dodge  behind  the  English,  find  an- 
other little  patch  of  grass,  and  then  unsaddle,  hobble 
our  horses  and  try  to  get  a  little  sleep.  So  cold  it 
was  that  precious  little  any  of  us  had  during  the 
night.  We  would  put  out  no  guards,  but  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  all  would  get  their  horses, 

273 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

saddle  up  and  prepare  for  fight.  We  would  then 
send  out  a  man  here  and  there,  say  about  1000  yards 
distance,  to  wait  for  daylight  and  to  locate  the  Eng- 
lish if  possible.  If  none  were  to  be  seen  at  hand  after 
the  sun  came  up,  we  would  unsaddle,  hobble  our 
horses  again  and  try  to  get  in  some  sleep  under  the 
warm  sunshine.  If  the  English  were  found  near,  we 
would  probably  have  a  short  skirmish  with  them, 
knock  a  few  from  their  horses,  and  then  fly  away 
to  some  other  part  of  our  district  where  we  would 
be  safe  to  get  something  to  eat.  We  were  sur- 
rounded many  times  at  daylight,  but  I  will  tell 
something  about  that  later  on. 

As  everything  was  destroyed  on  the  high 
veldt,  the  reader  will  naturally  ask  how  we  got 
anything  to  eat,  as  we  had  no  carts  or  wagons 
to  carry  food.  I  will  tell  him  just  how  we  man- 
aged to  live  and  grow  fat  and  strong  on  nothing. 
Before  the  rainy  season  set  in,  about  October,  the 
burghers  would  pull  out  their  hidden  plows,  put 
the  fields  in  good  shape  and  then  plant  their 
mealies,  (Indian  corn).  All  this  had  to  be  done 
under  the  cover  of  darkness,  and  it  meant  a  great 
deal  of  hard,  tiresome  work.  In  the  following 
March  and  April  we  would  have  plenty  of  green 
mealies,  and,  later  on,  dry  mealies.  The  English 
could  not  destroy  these  crops,  though  they  tried 
and  failed.  If  they  turned  their  horses  out  to 
eat  and  trample  it  down,  the  green  corn  would 

274 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAMS 
Commanding  Boer   Scouts. 


De  Wet  Cornered  Again 

kill  them.  When  the  corn  ripened  and  be- 
came dry  they  tried  to  burn  it,  but  failed  because 
there  was  little  or  no  grass  in  the  fields.  The 
result  was  that  we  had  mealies  on  the  stalk  in  all 
the  districts.  Many  would  be  gathered,  hidden  in 
the  high  reeds  along  the  small  rivers,  or  buried  in 
nice,  dry  pits.  The  English  have  often  ridden 
over  these  without  discovering  them.  Now,  the 
reader  may  understand  how  we  had  mealies  to  eat 
ourselves,  and  some  besides  for  our  horses. 

The  English  took  all  the  Kaffirs  away  and 
burnt  their  kraals.  In  these  kraals  there  were 
large  Kaffir  baskets,  some  that  would  hold  fifty 
bags  of  mealies  or  Kaffir  corn.  The  English 
would  set  these  on  fire,  but  they  would  not  burn. 
Then  they  would  destrov  the  baskets  and  scatter 
the  coin.  In  a  pinch  we  would  take  this  corn, 
wash  arid  dry  it  and  find  it  as  good  as  ever  with  the 
exception  of  a  little  sand  or  gravel  that  might  be  in 
it.  But  a  hungry  soldier  has  little  regard  for 
sand  and  gravel  under  the  circumstances.  Now, 
we  always  had  cattle  near  by,  and  generally  two 
or  three  good  fat  bullocks  with  us.  These  we 
would  drive  along  with  us,  until  they  were 
wanted.  In  every  mess  of  two  or  three  men,  there 
was  one  ordinary  coffee  mill,  but  of  course  we  had 
neither  coffee  nor  sugar.  We  used  these  mills, 
however,  to  grind  the  corn  into  a  rather  coarse 
meal.  It  was  hard,  tedious  work,  but  do  it  we 

275 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

must,  if  we  were  to  have  anything  with  our  fresh 
meat.  Having  ground  sufficient  meal  for  break- 
fast, a  small  tin  pot  filled  with  water  would  be 
brought  to  the  boiling  point,  the  meal  carefully 
stirred  in  and  constantly  stirred  for  about  forty 
minutes,  when  it  would  be  cooked.  Of  course 
we  had  no  salt ;  so  our  fresh  meat  would  be 
thrown  into  the  ashes,  broiled  to  suit  each  one's 
taste,  and  then  breakfast  was  ready.  There  is 
ammonia  or  some  other  kind  of  salts  in  the  ashes, 
that  help  the  meat  out.  For  coffee,  we  had  in 
each  little  mess  another  small  tin  bucket,  which 
would  be  filled  with  water  and  boiled.  Some  meal 
would  be  burnt  in  a  small  pan,  till  black,  and  then 
put  into  the  boiling  water ;  this  makes  a  very 
good  drink,  but  I  don't  believe,  reader,  that  you 
would  like  it. 

When  near  the  bush  veldt,  we  often  used  acorns 
for  the  same  purpose,  and  the  coffee  was  very  good. 
At  times,  during  peach  season,  we  dried  some 
peaches,  charred  them  and  had  a  really  delicious 
drink.  Sweet  potatoes  prepared  in  the  same  way 
make  a  nice  beverage,  too.  So  you  see  that,  after 
all,  we  lived  very  well.  Live  on  mush  and  fresh 
meat,  as  we  did,  and  you  will  never  be  sick. 

We  lived  in  this  way  for  two  long  years,  fight- 
ing all  the  time  or  trying  to  evade  the  English, 
and  we  lost  but  one  man  from  sickness  ;  this,  too, 
in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  we  had  nothing  to  pro- 

276 


De  Wet  Cornered  Again 

tect  us  against  the  cold  of  winter,  or  the  severe  rain 
storms  of  summer. 

Of  course  many  English  convoys  were  taken,  and 
many  railway  trains,  too,  but  the  Boers  have  good 
sense,  and  will  not  eat  any  canned  stuff.  They 
would  destroy  all  such,  and  only  take  what  they 
could  comfortably  carry  on  their  horses.  To  every 
man's  saddle  you  would  see  tied  either  a  small  tin 
bucket,  or  a  coffee  mill,  and  these  constituted  our 
complete  cooking  outfit.  On  this  high  veldt 
there  is  practically  no  wood.  So  for  fuel  we  would 
go  about  the  veldt  and  collect  dry  cow  dung,  just 
as  they  did  in  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  in 
the  early  days. 

Now,  reader,  you  are  sure  to  tell  me  that  the 
English  captured  all  our  cattle,  because  you  read 
it  in  the  paper.  Well,  I  confess  they  did  ;  and  let 
me  tell  you  about  it.  When  the  war  began,  the 
number  of  cattle  in  the  Transvaal  and  Free  State 
together,  was  nearly  300,000.  The  English  cap- 
tured all  these  cattle,  time  and  time  again,  and  if 
you  will  take  the  trouble  to  look  up  their  official 
reports,  you  will  find  that  during  the  war  they  cap- 
tured some  2,000,000  head  from  us,  although  we 
had  less  than  300,000  to  begin  with.  Here  is  the 
explanation  :  the  English  would  capture  our  cattle 
to-day,  and  make  their  report.  Tomorrow,  we 
would  take  the  cattle  back,  but  the  English  would 
make  no  report  of  it.  They  always  reported  the 

277 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

capture,  but  not  the  re-capture,  and  that  is  how 
they  captured  some  2,000,000  head  of  cattle.  The 
cattle  were  captured  and  re-captured  so  often  that 
they  grew  to  know  the  khakhi's  uniform  as  well  as 
the  Boer's  rags  :  so  when  they  saw  a  man  or  two  com- 
ing, if  he  or  they  wore  khakhi  uniforms,  they  would 
at  once  start  toward  the  railway  line.  If  the  men 
were  recognized  by  their  rags  as  Boers,  they  would 
all  start  for  the  high  veldt,  where  the  Boers  always 
took  them. 

The  poor,  patient  and  willing  cattle  had  hard 
lines,  and  many  and  many  miles  they  travelled 
during  the  war.  At  the  end  of  it,  the  Boers  still 
had  nearly  one-fifth  the  original  number,  and  all 
were  fat  and  in  good  eating  condition. 

Now,  I  will  drop  this  subject  for  the  present, 
and  tell  what  was  done  during  June.  All  the  col- 
umns made  another  drive  at  General  Louis  Botha, 
east  of  Ermelo,  and  they  had  him  cornered  this  time 
sure;  "there  was  no  possible  chance  for  his  escape," 
and  all  that  remained  to  be  done  was  to  go  through 
the  formal  ceremony  of  surrender  of  the  Command- 
ant General  of  the  Boer  forces.  True  it  is  they 
gave  him  a  lively  dance,  in  double  quick  time,  too, 
but  when  they  closed  they  found  that  General 
Botha  and  his  men  were  missing,  and  had  left  them 
nothing  but  the  corner.  This  was  too  bad,  for  the 
English  felt  much  disappointed  at  the  idea  of  hav- 
ing to  correct  all  previous  reports.  To  add  to  their 

278 


De  Wet  Cornered  Again 

misery,  General  Chris.  Botha  slipped  up  behind 
them,  fired  a  volley  into  their  rear,  and  nearly  shat- 
tered the  nervous  system  of  the  whole  English 
force.  It  was  simply  a  joke  on  the  part  of  General 
Chris.  Botha,  and  having  played  it,  he  and  his  men 
rode  away  to  some  warm  spot  where  they  could 
rest  and  eat  their  mealie  pap  and  fresh  meat. 
One  of  these  English  "drives"  is  a  wonderful 
tactical  success  when  the  number  of  telegrams,  and 
the  quantity  of  paper  required  in  the  execution,  are 
considered.  However,  as  long  as  there  were  any 
women  and  children  on  the  veldt  they  managed  to 
get  some  of  them,  and  these  they  could  kill  in  the 
concentration  camps,  if  they  couldn't  kill  their 
men  on  the  battle  field. 


2T9 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AN    IRISH    BOY'S    STRATEGY — HIS   SAD  DEATH — 

CAVALRY   FAR   SUPERIOR   TO 

INFANTRY. 

In  another  part  of  the  high  veldt,  about  300 
Australians  ventured  out  on  a  little  side  trip 
from  the  column.  I  think  a  Colonel  Beaston  was 
in  command  of  them,  though  I  am  not  sure  about 
it ;  but  it  makes  no  difference,  for  the  Australians 
were  there,  and  ready  for  business. 

"Fighting  Bill,"  General  Muller,  was  near  by  also. 
He  took  150  of  the  Johannesburg  boys,  among 
them  being  Sergeant  Mike  Halley,  Jim  French, 
Sergeant  Joe  Wade,  Mike  Hanafin,  Joe  Kennedy, 
John  McGlew,  Dick  Hunt,  Jerry  O'Leary  and 
Captain  McCullum,  of  the  Irish  Brigade.  With 
these  he  made  a  night  ride,  slipped  up  to  the 
Australians  as  they  were  sitting  and  telling  stories 
about  their  camp  fires,  and  took  them  all  in  before 
they  could  realize  what  had  happened.  With  them 
he  took  two  pom-poms  also,  and  some  300  horses, 
saddles,  bridles,  arid  as  many  rifles  and  plenty  of 
ammunition.  The  last  I  saw  of  the  Australians 
they  were  still  trying  to  explain  just  how  it 

280 


An  Irish  Boy's  Strategy 

happened.  General  Muller  was  very  kind  to  them, 
and  having  taken  possession  of  all  they  had, 
turned  them  loose  and  advised  them  to  go  home 
to  their  mothers. 

A  little  incident  happened  just  at  the  right 
moment  to  save  many  lives,  and  good  little  Mike 
Hanafin  was  the  hero.  The  Boers  having  charged 
into  the  midst  of  the  Australians,  of  course  all 
were  pretty  well  mixed.  Mike  Hanafin,  it  so  hap- 
pened, ran  upon  the  Australian  bugler,  and  an  idea 
struck  him  at  once  which  when  brought  into  play 
made  him  a  little  hero.  He  threw  his  rifle  into 
the  bugler's  face,  and  told  him  to  sound  "Cease 
Firing,"  or  he  would  blow  his  head  off.  The 
bugler  promptly  obeyed,  and,  of  course,  all  the 
Australians  ceased  firing  at  once.  The  major  in 
command  ran  up  to  the  bugler,  swore  at  him,  and 
ordered  him  to  sound,  at  once,  the  "Commence 
Firing,"  not  knowing  that  Mike  Hanafin  had  re- 
lieved the  bugler  of  his  bugle  as  soon  as  the  "Cease 
Firing"  had  been  sounded.  While  the  major  was 
swearing  at  the  bugler,  Joe  Wade  or  Mike  Halley, 
I  have  forgotten  which,  rammed  the  muzzle  of  his 
rifle  against  the  major's  stomach,  and  told  him 
that  he  could  have  all  the  fight  he  wished.  The 
major,  in  an  awful  tremble,  threw  up  his  hands  and 
said  "No,»no,  no,  I  don't  want  to  fight  any  more." 

General  Ben  Viljoen  on  joining  General  Muller 
and  the  Johannesburg  Commando,  decided  to  re- 

281 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

cross  the  railway  line  near  Balmoral,  and  operate 
north  of  Middleburg.  He  approached  the  line  in 
the  evening,  and  decided  to  capture  some  block- 
houses in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  take  over  his 
cannon  and  wagons.  He  took  the  two  blockhouses, 
and  about  half  his  commando  crossed,  but  the 
wagons  and  cannon  were  stopped  by  re-enforce- 
ments arriving  from  Balmoral.  It  was  within  ten 
feet  of  one  of  these  blockhouses  that  the  brave  and 
reckless  little  Mike  Hanafin  lost  his  life.  From 
a  hole  in  the  ground  under  the  blockhouse  a  To  ra- 
mie fired  and  killed  Mike,  who  fell  within  four  feet 
of  the  muzzle  of  the  Tommie's  rifle.  Plucky 
Dick  Hunt,  on  seeing  Mike  on  the  ground,  went  to 
his  assistance,  believing  that  he  had  been  wounded. 
On  reaching  Mike  he  spoke  to  him  but  received  no 
answer,  so  he  knew  that  little  Mike  was  dead. 
Hunt  stooped  down  to  pick  him  up,  and  as  he  did 
so,  the  Tommie  fired  up  from  the  hole  and  the  flash 
caught  Dick  in  the  face.  The  bullet  grazed  his  fore- 
head and  pierced  his  hat.  Joe  Wade  and  Joe  Ken- 
nedy, who  were  near  by,  came  to  Dick's  relief,  and 
the  three  carried  Mike's  body  a  few  yards  away,  and 
then  returned  to  the  blockhouse.  They  now  knew 
about  these  holes,  and  they  crept  up  to  one  of  them, 
slipped  the  muzzle  of  their  rifles  just  over  the  edge 
of  the  hole,  without  the  Tommie  knowing  it ;  they 
fired  and  the  Tommie  fell  dead.  This  frightened 
the  other  Tommies  who  were  watching  at  other 

282 


«s  I 


CAPTAIN  JACK  HINDON 

the  famous  train-wrecker 


An  Irish  Boy's  Strategy 

holes,  and  the  blockhouse  was  surrendered.  The 
brave  little  Mike  was  dead,  however,  and  those 
Irish  boys  to-day  mourn  his  death.  Mike,  after  the 
war  had  begun,  walked  from  Beira,  over  500  miles 
distance,  to  Delagoa  Bay,  and  then  worked  his 
way  into  the  Transvaal,  and  joined  the  Irish  Brig- 
ade. He  was  very  modest  and  quiet,  but  a  reckless 
little  enthusiast  when  it  came  to  a  fight  with  the 
English.  A  tenor  drum  that  he  had  captured 
months  previously,  and  the  bugle,  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  Irish  boys,  but  they  have  not  yet  decided 
what  they  will  do  with  them.  Hallowed  is  the  little 
plot  of  ground  where  he  lies  buried,  for  there  lies  the 
remains  of  a  true  Irish  patriot  and  lover  of  liberty. 
A  week  after  this  first  attempt  to  cross,  another 
was  made,  but  this  time  General  Viljoen  called 
Captain  Jack  Hindon,  the  great  train  wrecker,  to 
his  assistance.  Jack  laid  his  mines  along  the  rail- 
way line,  and  when  all  was  ready  the  commando, 
guns  and  wagons  advanced.  On  Hearing  the  line 
they  were  discovered  from  the  blockhouses,  and 
firing  began.  This  brought  the  armored  train  down 
upon  them.  This  on  reaching  Jack  Hindon's 
dynamite  mines,  was  blown  sky  high  and  complete- 
ly destroyed.  General  Viljoen,  his  guns  and  com- 
mando now  easily  crossed,  and  Captain  Jack 
returned  to  his  little  commando  near  Middleburg. 
General  Spruit,  that  good  man  who  was  afterwards 
killed,  and  who  saved  the  Irish  Brigade  at  Brand- 

283 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

fort,  tried  to  have  a  fight  with  an  English  column 
near  Heidleburg,  but  his  horses  proved  to  be  too 
slow,  and  the  English,  after  a  hot  race,  succeeded 
in  escaping  and  reaching  the  protection  of  that  well 
fortified  little  town. 

Many  other  early  morning  skirmishes  took  place, 
but  we  always  hurried  away  as  soon  as  we  emptied 
a  few  of  the  English  saddles.  Our  force  was  so 
small,  as  compared  to  the  English,  that  we  had  to 
run ;  but  we  always  put  in  some  effective  bullets 
before  we  put  in  our  spurs. 

Right  here,  before  I  forget  it,  I  must  answer  the 
charge  that  the  English  constantly  made  against 
us,  that  Boers  would  never  stand,  but  fire  a  few 
shots  and  run  away.  General  De  Wet  answered, 
and  to  the  point,  "Yes,"  he  says,  "we  shoot  and 
run  away,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  so  many 
English  are  killed,  and  so  few  Boers."  The  fact 
is,  that  if  ten  Englishmen  happen  to  fall  upon  one 
poor  Boer,  such  is  their  courage,  that  they  will 
never  let  up  till  they  have  beaten  him  almost  to 
death ;  whereas,  if  three  Boers  fall  upon  ten  English- 
men, and  take  them  in,  (as  they  invariably  will)  the 
Englishmen  will  say,  "You  acted  basely  in  attack- 
ing us  in  overwhelming  numbers." 

This  just  about  explains  the  difference  between 
an  Englishman  and  a  Boer  in  an  open  fight,  and 
this  great  difference  is  just  what  is  going  to  free 
South  Africa  of  English  rule  in  the  near  future. 

284 


An  Irish  Boy's  Strategy 

When  I  think  of  this  and  Chamberlain's  visit  to 
South  Africa,  I  often  wonder  if  he  does  not  sleep 
with  that  eyeglass  well  fastened  in  his  eye,  that  he 
may  see  what  is  going  on  about  him  in  hours  of 
danger.  He  is  scared,  all  right. 

In  the  Free  State,  General  De  Wet  has  been  in 
trouble  again,  but  he  was  not  worrying  about  it. 
Near  Reitz,  a  little  town  not  far  from  the  Vaal 
River,  a  huge  column  fell  upon  him,  and  a  fight  was 
the  result.  He  was  punched  about  considerably 
but  he  can  well  say,  "You  should  see  the  other 
fellow."  The  huge  column  was  knocked  out,  put 
to  flight,  its  wagor?,  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle 
captured,  and,  besides,  General  De  Wet  had  the 
pleasure  of  disarming  a  lot  of  prisoners  and  telling 
them  to  go  home  and  learn  how  to  play  soldier. 
There  was  also  some  fighting  south  of  Bloemfon- 
tein,  with  little  damage  to  either  side,  but  in  Cape 
Colony  all  was  ablaze.  General  Kritsinger  cap- 
tured two  toy:  is,  some  wagons,  prisoners  and  a 
large  quantity  of  ammunition.  Commandant 
Malan  had  been  equally  as  energetic  on  the  south- 
ern part,  while  Commandants  Lotter,  Latigan, 
Fouche,  Wessels  and  others  were  creating  much 
trouble  and  excitement  in  their  districts. 

There  was  more  actual  fighting  in  Cape  Colony 
than  in  any  other  place.  Had  the  commandant 
generals  of  the  Transvaal  and  Free  State  been 

285 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

there  with  their  commandos,  it  is  almost  certain 
that  the  whole  Cape  would  have  rebelled. 

In  the  Western  Transvaal,  General  de  la  Rey 
took  advantage  of  the  cold  weather  to  recuperate 
his  horses.  In  the  north  General  Beyers  likewise 
remained  quiet.  During  the  winter  season,  the 
Boers  in  the  Free  State  and  Transvaal  must  keep 
passive  if  possible,  otherwise  they  would  lose  all 
their  horses  and  thereby  be  unable  to  carry  on  the 
war.  Infantry  is  of  little  or  no  use  in  war,  when 
opposed  to  cavalry.  All  other  things  being  equal, 
that  army  which  is  strongest  in  cavalry  should  carry 
off  all  the  honors  of  battle.  Modern  guns  and 
arms  make  it  imperative  that  an  army  be  able  to 
move  quickly  and  change  position  with  such  rapid- 
ity as  to  cover  a  mile  in  five  minutes.  Infantry 
can't  do  this.  Even  in  a  mountainous  country, 
cavalry  will,  man  for  man,  easily  defeat  infantry. 
No  one  realizes  this  more  than  the  Boers,  and  that 
is  the  reason  why  they  always  look  after  their 
horses  first  and  then  themselves. 

During  July,  the  Boers  remained  inactive,  and 
were  but  little  annoyed  by  the  English.  It  was 
frightfully  cold  at  night,  and  of  course  one  had  to 
be  on  the  move  every  night,  but  the  English,  who 
were  all  about  us,  seemed  to  dread  the  cold  as  much 
as  ourselves.  General  Smuts  and  Commandant 
Ben  Bouwers  had  now  entered  Cape  Colony  and 

286 


An  Irish  Boy's  Strategy 

joined  with  General  Kritsinger  and  his  excellent 
staff  of  commandants.  General  Kritsinger  took  in 
a  few  trains  and  captured  some  provisions,  while 
his  commandants  amused  themselves  in  daily 
skirmishes  with  the  English. 


287 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

KITCHENER    TRIES    TO    FRIGHTEN    THE    BOERS 

FAILING,   TAKES   REVENGE   ON   WOMEN    AND 

CHILDREN — CAPTURE  OF   FORT   PISON— 

ENGLISH  SURPRISE  THE  BOERS  AND 

ARE  ROUTED. 

It  was  during  the  month  of  August  that  Lord 
Kitchener  issued  his  proclamation  warning  all 
commandants,  veldtcornets,  etc.,  that  if  they  did 
not  come  in  and  surrender  by  September  15th, 
they  would  all  be  permanently  banished  from  the 
country.  I  wished  at  the  time  that  Lord  Kitchener 
could  see  the  Boers  as  they  read  his  proclamation. 
They  threw  their  hats  in  the  air,  and  gave  three 
cheers  for  "Kitch,  the  woman  butcher,"  three  cheers 
for  "Kitchener,  the  wind-bag,"  three  cheers  for 
"Kitchener,  the  scared  butcher."  I  witnessed  all 
this,  and  felt  proud  of  the  Boers  for  so  pouring  out 
their  hearts. 

That  proclamation  created  new  life,  and  the 
Boers  were  determined  to  show  Lord  Kitchener 
what  they  thought  of  it  and  him,  by  September 
15th,  although  they  were  so  hemmed  in  that  they 
could  scarcely  move.  Lord  Kitchener  heard  that 
the  Boers  made  much  sport  of  him  and  his  pro- 
clamation, and  evened  up  with  them  by  slaughtering 

288 


Kitchener  Tries  to  Frighten  the  Boers 

thousands  more  of  their  women  and  children  in  the 
concentration  camps.  In  this  line  of  business,  I 
don't  believe  that  Lord  Kitchener  has  an  equal  in 
the  history  of  the  whole  world.  He  is  a  good  one. 

General  Louis  Botha  at  once  made  up  his  mind 
to  go  into  Natal  and  find  out  what  was  going  on 
in  the  enemy's  land,  and  called  for  a  few  men  from 
each  command.  He  assembled  1,500  men,  and 
with  him  went  General  Chris.  Botha  and  Comman- 
dant Opperman,  two  of  the  best  officers  in  the 
field.  However,  this  command  did  not  go  until 
September,  so  I  leave  it  for  the  time  being. 

Far  away  in  the  bush  veldt,  east  of  Lydenburg, 
was  a  strong  fort  manned  by  Steinaker's  Horse,  and 
a  lot  of  his  allied  armed  Kaffirs.  General  Ben 
Viljoen  made  up  his  mind  to  take  them  in,  and 
with  that  fighting  commandant,  Piet  Moll,  the 
brave  Captain  Malan,  and  the  gallant  Veldtcornet 
Schoeman  and  100  men,  he  set  out  at  sunset  to 
accomplish  his  object.  The  fort,  Pisana,  was 
reached  in  the  very  early  morning,  and  Comman- 
dant Moll  and  Veldtcornet  Schoeman  at  once 
rushed  upon  it.  The  defenders  poured  in  volley 
after  volley  on  them,  but  they  went  ahead,  scaled 
the  high  wall  and  captured  the  whole  affair.  Six 
men  were  killed,  and  good  Piet  Moll  was  severely 
wounded,  but  I  am  happy  to  say  that  he  recovered 
and  is  ready  to  do  battle  again.  Captain  Francis, 
who  commanded  the  fort,  and  one  white  man  was 

289 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

killed,  besides  a  number  of  armed  Kaffirs  in  khaki 
uniform.  The  Kaffirs  fought  bravely,  but  the 
white  men  hid  themselves  in  holes. 

General  Viljoen  thought  these  white  men,  about 
thirty,  were  all  freebooters,  who  had  employed 
some  seventy  Kaffirs  to  fight  with  them.  Lord 
Kitchener,  who  had  always  sworn  that  the  British 
had  not  armed  any  of  the  30,000  or  40,000  Kaffirs 
now  fighting  the  Boers,  had  to  acknowledge  that 
both  the  whites  and  Kaffirs  were  a  part  of  his  mili- 
tary force.  He  saved  the  whites,  but  not  the 
Kaffirs.  I  will  have  much  to  say  about  this  Kaffir 
business,  before  I  am  through,  but  not  just  now. 

The  fort  had  scarcely  been  taken  before  Chief 
Pisana  with  about  500  of  his  armed  Kaffirs  came 
to  Captain  Francis'  rescue,  but  General  Ben  Viljoen 
and  his  men  soon  put  him  to  flight.  The  fort  had 
been  taken  so  quickly  that  Chief  Pisana  could  not 
reach  his  friends  in  time.  It  was  a  shame  that 
every  white  man  in  that  fort  was  not  shot  down, 
for  not  one  of  them  was  fit  to  live.  Each  one  had 
two  or  three  Kaffir  girls  with  him,  whom  they 
called  their  wives,  and  all  were  living,  not  as  human 
beings,  but  as  the  lowest  of  beasts.  The  vile 
Steinaker  and  his  brutes  never  again  showed  up  in 
those  parts. 

On  the  high  veldt  near  Olifantsfontein,  and  just 
at  sunrise,  the  English  opened  a  hot  fire  on  about 
100  of  us  at  a  distance  of  no  more  than  300  yards. 

290 


YOUNG  WOHLITER 

who  would  not  have  his  hair  cut  during  the  war. 


Kitchener  Tries  to  Frighten  the  Boers 

Major  Wolmorans,  of  the  artillery,  was  in  com- 
mand. He  had  put  no  guards  out  and  we  were 
caught,  most  of  us,  sound  asleep.  The  rapid  fir- 
ing aroused  us  quickly,  and  when  Major  Pretor- 
ius  and  I  (we  always  bunked  together)  jumped 
up,  we  saw  twelve  Tommies  trying  to  drop  us. 
All  the  horses  stampeded,  with  the  exception  of 
six,  and  it  certainly  looked  as  if  we  were  at  last 
captured.  Commandant  Prinsloo,  a  most  level- 
headed and  dashing  young  officer,  with  about  100 
men,  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  us,  and 
he  was  attacked  at  the  same  time. 

I  had  a  fine  horse  that  Major  Pretorius  had  given 
me,  but  he  was  the  craziest  animal  under  fire  I  ever 
saw.  He  was  one  of  the  six  horses  that  were  tied 
and  couldn't  run  away.  The  other  five  were  quiet, 
and  easily  saddled,  but  no  dozen  men  could  put  a 
saddle  on  mine,  because.he  was  standing  on  his  hind 
feet  and  fighting  with  his  forefeet.  As  the  English 
had  the  small  sum  of  $25,000  on  my  head,  I  was 
determined  not  to  be  taken  in,  if  I  could  help  it, 
so  I  jumped  on  him,  he  leaped  into  the  air,  went 
over  a  stone  wall  and  seemed  to  be  trying  to  break 
his  neck.  Having  gone  about  800  yards,  I  got 
control  of  him,  hauled  him  in  and  turned  about  to 
see  what  was  going  on.  I  could  see  no  more  than 
thirty  or  forty  English,  so  went  back  at  once.  I 
could  see  our  stampeded  horses  about  three  miles 
away,  and  half  of  the  artillery  boys  in  hot  pursuit. 

291 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

The  English  broke  and  fled,  and  Major  Pre- 
torius  with  four  mounted  men,  went  after  them  in 
hot  haste.  It  looked  foolish,  but  it  turned  out 
otherwise.  Those  five  men  chased  those  forty  scouts 
and  Captain  Wood  and  Captain  Morley  for  nine 
miles,  killing  four  and  wounding  seven,  and  captur- 
ing some  horses.  Captain  Morley  was  severely 
wounded  by  Major  Pretorius,  who  charged  upon 
him  with  his  mauser  revolver.  We  missed  being 
captured  by  the  main  column  passing  about  one 
mile  from  us.  Had  all  of  them  been  present,  I 
think  that  cot  one  of  us  would  have  escaped  being 
killed  or  captured.  A  few  days  afterwards,  we 
read  Captain  Wood's  report,  and  in  it  he  said  that 
he  and  forty  of  his  scouts  were  ambushed  by  about 
700  Boers  in  the  early  morning,  a  fight  ensued  in 
which  he  counted  twenty-three  Boers  killed, 
but  did  not  know  the  number  of  wounded.  We 
all  exclaimed,  "What  a  liar  1"  We  had  just  one 
man  slightly  wounded,  and  Captain  Wood's  scouts, 
who  were  prisoners  in  our  camp,  will  tell  him  so, 
too.  Speaking  of  his  own  loss,  Captain  Wood  said 
that  Captain  Morley  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
stomach,  four  men  killed,  seven  wounded  and 
fourteen  missing.  We  knew  nothing  about  the 
fourteen  missing,  for  we  only  saw  the  four  killed, 
and  the  seven  wounded. 

Every  day  for  the  rest  of  the  month  we  were 
attacked  by  the  English,  and  a  short  hot  skirmish 

292 


Kitchener  Tries  to  Frighten  the  Boers 

would  ensue.  In  the  end,  of  course,  we  had  to  fly, 
for  the  English  were  always  fifteen  or  twenty  to  one 
against  us.  It  was  very  trying  work,  and  the  nights 
were  still  severely  cold,  yet  the  boys  were  always  in 
good  spirits,  and  ready  for  business. 

In  the  Free  State  some  blockhouses  were  blown 
up,  some  taken,  and  one  or  two  trains  fell  into 
General  De  Wet's  hands,  but  otherwise  there  was 
little  done.  In  Cape  Colony,  both  General  Smuts 
and  General  Kritsinger  were  very  lively.  More 
towns  had  been  taken,  several  convoys  and  many 
prisoners  had  been  captured,  and,  on  the  whole,  the 
English  had  been  badly  worsted  throughout  the 
Colony. 

September  is  the  month  in  which  Kitchener's  proc- 
lamation of  banishment  is  to  take  effect,  and  the 
Boers  came  in  to  surrender  in  this  way.  General 
Louis  Botha  was  near  the  Natal  Border  and  found 
English  and  fortified  camps  plentiful.  Forts  Pros- 
pect and  Itala,  both  fortified  places,  were  attacked 
and  after  very  severe  fighting  for  many  hours, 
General  Botha's  men  proved  too  much  for  the  Eng- 
lish behind  the  walls,  and  gained  two  victories.  He 
had  one  more  short  fight,  and  when  ready  to  start 
back  to  the  high  veldt  he  found  that  he  had  taken 
three  guns,  over  300  prisoners  and  130  heavily 
loaded  wagons ;  this,  too,  on  the  very  day  that  he 
and  his  officers  were  to  be  banished  if  they  did  not 
come  in  and  surrender. 

293 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Matters  were  quiet  in  the  Free  State,  so  we  pass 
on  to  Cape  Colony.  On  September  15th,  the  day 
of  banishment,  General  Kritsinger  attacked  and  put 
to  flight  one  column,  while  General  Smuts  smashed 
another  and  took  two  extra  guns  with  him.  This 
day  was  celebrated  all  over  Cape  Colony  by  the 
commandants,  but  I  regret  to  say  that  two  of  the 
very  best  of  them  were  very  unfortunate.  Com- 
mandant Lotter  and  over  a  hundred  men  were  sur- 
rounded and  captured  after  a  most  desperate  fight. 
Because  he  made  such  a  brave  showing  and  because 
he  wrought  so  much  havoc  with  English  columns, 
he  was  promptly  hanged.  Young  S cheepers,  who 
was  so  ill  with  fever  that  he  could  not  ride,  was 
also  captured,  tied  in  a  chair  and  shot,  as  well  as 
his  two  lieutenants,  Wolvarts  and  Schoeman. 
These  brave  men  had  fought  many  successful 
battles  and  laid  low  many  English  officers  and  men, 
therefore,  they  must  die.  After  a  while  I  will  have 
something  more  to  say  about  these  good  men,  young 
Louw  and  other  martyrs. 

In  the  Western  Transvaal,  General  de  la  Rey 
also  celebrated  the  15th  of  September  by  taking  200 
men  and  attacking  Colonel  Kekewich  and  1200  at 
Selons  River.  Colonel  Kekewich  lost  all  his  horses, 
his  wagons,  had  a  narrow  escape,  and  he  with  his 
men  fled  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  take  them,  while 
General  de  la  Rey  continued  to  harass  them.  Had 
General  de  la  Rey  had  a  few  more  men,  he  woujd 

294 


Kitchener  Tries  to  Frighten  the  Boers 

have  taken  the  whole  column,  but  he  had  to  content 
himself  with  all  the  horses. 

All  this  went  to  show  Lord  Kitchener  how  much 
the  Boers  thought  of  his  threats  and  proclamation. 
If  there  were  10,000  Boers  in  the  field,  and  no  more 
than  50,000  English,  and  the  Boers  should  issue 
such  a  proclamation,  why,  the  English  would  fairly 
break  their  necks,  such  would  be  their  haste  to  lay 
down  their  guns.  But  the  Boers  are  soldiers  who 
love  liberty  and  their  Country,  and  therefore  are 
not  men  to  run  and  lay  down  their  guns  because 
some  high  butcher  at  the  head  of  300,000  men 
threatens  to  banish  them  forever  from  their  country 
If  they  do  not. 


295 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ARTILLERY   BOYS    SURPRISED — A   GREAT   RACE — 

MURDER  OF  TWO  YOUNG   BOERS   UNDER   THE 

IMPRESSION   THEY    WERE    MEMBERS    OF 

THE    IRISH    BRIGADE  —  THE    ONLY 

NAVAL  BATTLE   OF   THE  WAR. 

In  October,  Major  Wolmorans,  Major  Pretorius, 
myself,  Lieutenant  Johannes  Malan,  sixty-three 
artillery  boys  and  one  Irish  boy,  Mike  Ryan, 
started  for  the  Pietersburg  railway  line  to  take  in 
a  train.  To  get  there  we  had  to  pass  through  the 
blockhouses  on  the  Pretoria-Delagoa  railway  line. 
We  camped  about  six  miles  from  this  line,  and 
when  it  was  dark  we  saddled  up  and  went  on  our 
way.  The  blockhouses  were  so  numerous  that  we 
would  have  to  pass  close  by  them,  but  as  they  were 
not  dangerous  institutions,  we  thought  little  about 
them.  The  armored  trains  by  Balmoral  Station 
were  our  great  danger,  for  they  were  equipped  with 
men,  cannon,  maxims,  and  large  search-lights. 

At  a  point  about  1000  yards  from  the  line,  we 
halted  and  Major  Pretorius  rode  ahead  to  investi- 
gate. We  were  just  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  Balmoral,  and  great  caution  was  necessary. 
Major  Pretorius,  when  nearly  100  yards  from  the 
line,  discovered  the  armored  train,  all  in  darkness, 

296 


Artillery  Boys  Surprised 

just  where  we  were  to  cross.  He  quietly  slipped 
back  to  report  and  all  had  to  turn  back  to  the 
camp  we  had  left.  The  moon  was  nearly  full,  and 
this  bothered  us,  for  we  wished  to  cross  early  in 
the  evening,  and  as  the  moon  came  so  soon,  we 
were  liable  to  be  discovered.  We  remained  in 
our  old  camp  that  night,  and  went  to  another  burnt 
farm  house,  about  a  mile  distant,  where  we  stayed 
during  the  following  night.  It  was  well  that  we 
did  so,  for  on  the  morning  afterwards,  our  old  camp 
was  surrounded,  and  the  English  maxims  cut 
down  nearly  all  the  trees  about  the  ruins.  On 
hearing  the  maxims,  we  mounted  our  horses  and 
rode  to  the  top  of  a  ridge  to  find  out  the  trouble. 
The  English,  on  seeing  us,  fled  in  haste  to  Balmo- 
ral Station,  whence  they  had  come. 

We  waited  about  for  two  more  nights,  and 
then  decided  to  move  out  and  cross  the  line 
right  by  the  station.  We  started  very  early,  in 
order  to  be  ahead  of  the  moon.  We  reached  the 
line  and  just  as  we  were  crossing  it,  the  moon 
begun  to  peep  above  the  horizon.  We  could 
plainly  see  the  Tommies  sitting  by  their  fires, 
smoking  their  pipes  and  enjoying  themselves. 
We  were  not  out  of  danger,  by  any  means,  for 
should  we  be  discovered,  the  armored  train  would 
run  up  and  easily  sweep  us  off  with  the  maxims. 

Half  a  mile  in  front  of  us  was  a  bad  creek  to 
cross,  and  there  we  expected  trouble.  On  reach- 

29T 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

ing  it,  we  found  it  well  protected  with  barbed  wire, 
but  this  was  soon  cut,  and  we  were  safe  on  the 
north  side  of  the  line.  We  did  not  go  far  before 
we  unsaddled,  slept  a  few  hours,  and  then  rode  on 
towards  Rhinoster  Kop.  On  the  night  of  the 
second  day,  we  camped  in  the  bush  about  twenty 
miles  northeast  of  Pretoria,  and  not  far  from  the 
Pietersburg  railway  line.  On  reconnoitring,  the 
line  was  found  so  well  guarded  with  armed  Kaffirs 
that  it  was  thought  unwise  to  try  to  take  in  a  train. 

Major  Wolmorans  then  turned  his  attention  to 
some  cattle  near  the  Hatherly  Distillery,  which  is 
on  the  Pretoria-Delagoa  railway  line.  He  went 
in  with  a,bout  thirty  men,  spent  the  night  in  rain, 
and  received  a  sweeping  fire  from  an  armored  train 
which  was  near  at  hand.  No  one  knows  how  any 
one  escaped,  but  not  one  was  touched.  On  their 
return  next  morning,  they  presented  a  very  sorry 
looking  appearance.  We  went  back  a  few  miles 
and  camped  at  Zusters  Hoek. 

This  little  escapade  stirred  up  the  English  and 
three  columns  promptly  showed  up.  Commandant 
Groenewald  with  200  men,  and  Jack  Hindon  with 
sixty  men  joined  with  us  and  drove  one  of  the 
columns  back  close  to  Pretoria.  They  then  re- 
turned to  their  camps  near  Rhinoster  Kop  and  we 
were  again  alone  and  camped  at  Zusters  Hoek. 
The  other  two  English  columns  were  still  near 
Balmoral. 

298 


Artillery  Boys  Surprised 

On  the  following  day,  we  could  see  the  English 
scouts  on  a  hill  about  five  miles  away,  between  us 
and  Pretoria.  Major  Pretorius  and  I  were  sure 
that  an  attack  was  intended  that  night,  and  we 
tried  to  get  Major  Wolmorans  to  move  away.  But 
he  wouldn't.  We  told  him  that  we  were  going  to 
a  good  kopje  a  short  distance  off,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, because  we  did  not  care  to  be  surrounded  and 
captured.  He  said  all  right;  so  at  daylight  we 
went  to  the  kopje,  but  the  English  did  not  come. 
They  were  still  on  that  same  hill. 

We  remained  where  we  were  during  the  day,  and 
Major  Wolmorans  remained  where  he  was.  Night 
came  and  the  men  went  to  Major  Wolmorans  and 
asked  him  to  move  to  the  kopje  where  Major  Pre- 
torius and  I  were.  He  told  them  that  there  was 
no  danger,  and  that  he  would  stay  where  he  was. 

At  daylight  the  following  morning  we  were 
aroused  by  the  singing  of  maxims  in  the  direction 
of  Major  Wolmoran's  camp.  About  700  cavalry 
had  him  three-quarters  surrounded,  all  firing,  as 
well  as  four  maxims  which  clattered  continually. 
The  artillery  boys  ran  for  their  horses,  some  sad- 
dled, others  had  no  time,  and  some  couldn't  get 
their  horses  at  all.  Here  they  came  towards 
us  in  the  wildest  disorder,  Major  Wohnorans  with 
them.  The  English,  whooping  and  yelling,  followed 
in  hot  pursuit,  and  a  race  under  whip  and  spur 
for  four  miles  followed.  The  English  lost,  and  all 

299 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

the  artillery  boys  escaped  except  twenty-six,  who 
were  captured  in  the  camp.  This  long  race  caused 
the  remaining  thirty-seven  men  to  scatter  so  that  it 
was  a  week  before  they  all  got  together.  Half  of 
them  were  without  blankets,  saddles  and  cooking 
utensils,  and  be  assured  they  were  a  dilapidated, 
disgusted  looking  lot  of  men.  Major  Wolmorans, 
too,  had  lost  all  he  had,  and  Major  Pretorius  and  I 
had  lost  nothing. 

We  now  set  out  to  return  to  the  high  veldt,  where 
we  arrived  early  hi  November,  because  we  had  no 
trouble  whatever  passing  blockhouses  and  railway 
lines.  Among  our  captured  was  Mick  Ryan  and  a 
little  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Regal,  and  I  felt 
sure  they  would  be  shot.  Strange  to  say,  two  men, 
supposed  to  be  Ryan  and  Regal,  were  shot  on  Oc- 
tober 29th,  three  days  after  the  capture.  The  two 
unfortunates  were  young  burghers  who  talked  Eng- 
lish. I  must  here  state  that  towards  the  end  of 
the  war,  all  those  who  spoke  English  and  were  cap- 
tured were  almost  sure  to  be  shot. 

The  Australians  and  Canadians  murdered  many 
men  after  they  had  surrendered,  and  I  have  heard 
them  boast  about  it  in  Pretoria  after  peace  was 
made.  They  were  the  most  thorough  bred  ruffians 
that  ever  put  their  feet  on  South  African  soil,  and 
had  the  Boers  known  during  the  war  what  they 
learned  after  the  war,  about  the  many  innocent 
men  murdered  in  cold  blood,  I  am  sure  that  at 

300 


Artillery  Boys  Surprised 

least  half  of  the  Canadian  and  Australian  contin- 
gents would  have  been  shot,  for  at  least  that  many 
had  been  captured.  The  Boers  always  treated 
them  as  soldiers  and  gentlemen,  and  on  releasing 
them  would  always  wish  them  better  luck  next 
time. 

Near  Pietersburg  lived  some  Boers,  two  or  three, 
and  they  were  supposed  to  have  money.  Of  course, 
they  were  "Hands-uppers,"  having  voluntarily  gone 
in  and  surrendered  their  guns.  With  them  was  a 
German  missionary  and  one  English  soldier,  a 
visitor.  Major  Morand  and  Lieutenant  Hancock^ 
two  Australian  officers,  went  to  this  farm  with  the 
intent  of  robbing  the  Boers,  not  knowing  that  there 
was  an  English  soldier  there.  On  making  their 
demand,  the  Boers  protested  and  were  at  once  shot 
down.  The  German  missionary  showed  himself, 
and  of  course  Major  Morand  had  to  shoot  him,  too. 
In  the  house  was  also  this  English  soldier,  and  to 
close  his  mouth  they  shot  him,  too.  A  Kaffir  was  at 
the  place,  and  told  the  officers  at  Pietersburg.  Major 
Morand  and  Lieutenant  Hancock  knew  nothing 
about  the  Kaffir,  for  they  had  not  seen  him,  so  they 
proceeded  to  rob  the  house  and  their  dead  victims. 
On  returning  to  Pietersburg,  both  were  arrested 
and  charged  with  murder.  They  were  tried  and 
shot  "for  murdering  Boers,"  nothing  being  said 
about  a  German  missionary  and  English  soldier. 
The  fact  is,  they  were  both  shot  for  murdering  the 

301 


A  West  Pointer  with,  the  Boers 

English  soldier,  and  for  no  other  reason.  Had 
not  the  proper  authorities  shot  them,  the  soldiers 
would  have  taken  the  law  in  their  hands  and  done 
the  work.  It  does  seem  that  the  English  can  do 
nothing  without  resorting  to  deception  or  lying, 
and  in  this  they  easily  excel  the  whole  civilized 
world.  Any  British  officer  or  soldier  who  could 
prove  that  he  had  murdered  more  Boers  than  any 
other  man  in  the  army,  would  be  certain  to  receive 
the  Victoria  Cross. 

In  the  Free  State  everything  was  very  quiet,  so  I 
will  pass  into  the  Colony.  October  is  a  particular- 
ly conspicuous  month,  because  it  witnessed  the 
only  naval  battle  of  the  war.  This  took  place  at 
Saldanha  Bay,  a  few  miles  above  Cape  Town,  on 
the  east  coast.  The  Boers  had  passed  through 
Cape  Colony  and  landed  at  this  beautiful  bay, where 
they  took  seven  English  officers  prisoners.  Not 
far  out  in  the  bay  an  English  boat  was  anchored, 
and  the  Boers  thought  they  would  seize  it.  They 
collected  all  the  row-boats  about  the  place,  took 
their  rifles  and  in  one  long  line  advanced  to  make 
the  capture.  When  near  enough,  they  demanded 
its  surrender.  The  captain  refused,  and  the  Boers 
opened  fire.  The  captain  became  frightened,  and 
put  up  the  white  flag.  Just  as  the  victorious 
Boer  sailors  were  about  to  take  possession,  they 
discovered  an  English  gun-boat  coming  to  the 
rescue,  so  they  had  to  paddle  for  all  they  were 

302 


Artillery  Boys  Surprised 

worth  to  reach  the  shore  again  before  this  gun-boat 
could  get  within  range.  They  succeeded  and  were 
safe,  but  the  gun-boat  stopped  short  of  rifle  range, 
so  the  battle  was  over.  The  Boers  remained  here 
for  a  day,  then  released  the  seven  officers,  and 
went  prowling  about  the  Colony  as  they  pleased. 
The  inhabitants  supplied  them  with  food,  horses, 
clothing  and  everything  they  could  possibly  wish. 

When  the  news  of  the  naval  battle  reached 
Cape  Town,  of  course  the  English  went  crazy  with 
excitement,  for  they  fully  expected  to  see  the 
Boers  in  their  midst  every  moment.  Lord  Kitche- 
ner became  alarmed,  too,  and  proclaimed  all  Cape 
Colony  under  martial  law.  That  naval  battle 
caused  much  trouble,  for  now  martial  law  was 
supreme  throughout  the  Colony,  and  young  men 
and  women  were  everywhere  arrested  and  imprison- 
ed from  one  to  six  months  for  assisting  the  Boers, 
while  the  inhabitants  of  the  Colony  had  to  submit 
to  having  their  horses  forcibly  taken  from  them, 
or  to  witness  then:  being  shot  by  the  English  troops. 
All  their  food  stuffs,  sheep,  cattle,  etc.,  were  taken 
from  them,  and  they  were  all  left  high  and  dry 
with  seven  days'  food  in  the  house.  All  their 
forage  and  grain  was  carried  away  or  burnt,  and 
had  it  been  possible,  their  crops  would  have  been 
destroyed,  too. 

Yes,  that  naval  battle  put  things  in  an  awful 
mess  in  Cape  Colony,  and  had  Generals  Botha,  De 

303 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Wet  and  de  la  Rey  been  there  with  their  forces, 
75,000  rebels  would  have  joined  them  and  their 
two  little  Republics,  and  Cape  Colony  would 
to-day  be  free  and  independent.  Generals  Smuts 
and  Kritsinger  and  all  their  commandants  were 
daily  fighting  in  some  of  the  districts,  and  the  very 
fact  that  martial  law  was  now  made  to  cover  the 
entire  Colony,  showed  conclusively  that  Lord 
Kitchener  and  the  British  Government  were  both 
much  alarmed,  and  looked  upon  the  situation  as  so 
critical  as  to  demand  every  attention. 

In  the  Western  Transvaal,  General  de  la  Rey 
found  Colonel  Van  Donlop  and  his  column  in  his 
way,  so  he  attacked  them,  put  them  to  rout,  took 
fifteen  of  their  wagons  heavily  loaded,  and  went 
on  his  way  to  the  Magielesberg,  where  several 
columns  had  lately  tried  to  corner  the  cute  General 
Kemp.  This  Colonel  Van  Donlop  was  not  out  to 
fight  men,  but  to  maltreat  women  and  children. 
He  was  burning  their  homes,  and  all  their  posses- 
sions, and  leaving  them  to  starve  to  death  on  the 
veldt  because  they  would  not  make  their  men  come 
in  and  surrender. 


304 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

GEN.  BOTHA'S  BRILLIANT  CHARGE — OUR  FRENCH 
GUN  CAPTURED  —  MAJOR  PRETORIUS   CAP- 
TURED— A  CLOSE  CALL  BUT  ALL  ENDS 
WELL  —  GEN.  DE    WET'S    DARING 

WORK. 

In  the  month  of  November,  although  on  the  high 
veldt  there  was  daily  skirmishing  with  the  English, 
there  was  but  one  really  good  fight,  and  that  was  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  and  dashing  of  the  war.  In  the 
eastern  part  of  the  high  veldt,  many  of  the  English 
columns  were  at  their  same  old  game,  trying  to 
corner  General  Louis  Botha.  For  the  tenth  time, 
he  had  outwitted  them  and  escaped  from  their 
clutches.  He  at  once  left  those  parts,  and  came  to 
our  section  in  the  west.  At  Brakenlaagte,  not  far 
from  the  little  town  of  Bethel,  he  discovered  an 
English  column.  He  collected  some  of  the  small 
commandos  near  and  found  he  had  470  men.  This 
he  considered  sufficient  for  his  work. 

Brakenlaagte  is  a  beautiful  grassy  plain,  very 
tempting  for  a  cavalry  charge.  About  a  mile  be- 
hind the  main  column,  the  English  commander, 
Colonel  Benson,  left  a  strong  rear  guard  and  two 
guns.  General  Botha  decided  to  charge  first  the 
rear  guard  and  then  the  main  column,  which  was 

305 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

about  1,500  strong.  He  gave  the  word,  and  off 
the  Boers  went  at  high  speed,  whooping  and 
yelling  and  crying,  "Look  out,  Khakies,  we 
are  coming."  The  rear  guard  mounted  and  fled, 
leaving  two  guns  behind  them,  but  the  most  of  the 
burghers  passed  the  guns  and  continued  the  chase. 
So  demoralized  were  the  English,  that  many  of  them 
threw  away  helmets,  rifles,  belts,  etc.,  and  ran  in  all 
directions  in  hope  of  escaping.  A  part  of  the  column, 
however,  stood  its  ground  well  and  poured  in  a  hot 
fire  on  the  Boers  near  the  two  captured  guns.  Fin- 
ally the  whole  column,  with  its  four  remaining 
guns,  fled,  leaving  wagons,  carts,  etc.,  in  the  hands 
of  the  Boers.  General  Botha  with  470  had,  by  a 
dashing  charge,  won  a  most  brilliant  victory.  Over 
300  English  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  nearly 
400  taken  prisoners.  These  men  were  released. 
This  column  never  again  took  part  in  the  war,  and 
was  for  months  laid  up  for  repairs.  Its  brave 
commander,  Colonel  Benson,  was  mortally  wound- 
ed and  soon  died. 

Among  the  first  captured  was  one  Tommie,  with 
whom  a  young  burgher  had  exchanged  clothes,  and 
by  accident  General  Botha  saw  this  Tommie  and, 
taking  him  for  one  of  his  burghers  who  was  lag- 
ging behind,  struck  him  with  his  whip  and  ordered 
him  into  the  fight. 

The  poor  fellow  was  scared  half  to  death,  but 
found  words  enough  to  murmur,  "I  am  an  English 

306 


WILL  BARTER,  JOHN  HYGELSEN  KLOPRER. 

The  Treasury  Department  in  the    Field.    Win.    Barter,  chief   of   the    Money 
Printing  Division,  on  the  left. 


Major  Pretorius  Captured 

prisoner."  General  Botha  then  saw  what  had  hap- 
pened to  the  young  fellow,  and  he  immediately 
apologized.  The  young  fellow  said  in  reply  "That 
he  was  proud  that  he  could  say  that  he  had  been 
struck  with  a  whip  by  such  a  brave  man,  and  the 
commandant  general  of  the  Boer  Army." 

Among  Colonel  Benson's  letters  was  one  written 
that  day  to  his  wife,  and  in  it  he  stated  that  he  had 
been  searching  for  the  Boers  all  day  and  had  been 
much  disappointed  in  not  finding  them,  for  he  was 
longing  for  a  fight.  The  letter  was  returned  to 
be  forwarded.  Colonel  Benson  had  a  great  rep- 
utation as  an  artillerist,  and  was  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  bravest  and  most  dashing  officers  in  the 
English  Army. 

General  De  Wet  and  some  of  his  commandants 
had  a  few  small  fights  in  the  Free  State,  but  none 
of  any  importance.  General  Smuts  was  creating 
considerable  excitement  in  Cape  Colony,  and  some 
of  the  commandants  were  doing  likewise.  One 
of  Smuts'  commandos  captured  about  200  men 
hi  one  fight.  The  English  press  claim  that  these 
men  deliberately  refused  to  fight,  and  laid  down 
their  arms  on  a  preconcerted  agreement.  I  do 
not  know  how  much  truth  there  is  in  this,  but 
I  do  know  that  the  Tommies  were  getting  tired  of 
being  shot  down.  Many  hundreds  of  prisoners 
taken  on  the  high  veldt  would  fairly  beg  not  to  be 
released,  and  said  they  would  be  glad  to  live  on. 

307 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

mush  and  meat.  They  were  so  utterly  disgusted 
with  the  war  that  many,  after  being  released, 
would  follow  up  the  Boer  commandos,  and  then 
beg  not  to  be  sent  away.  Sometimes  they  had  to 
be  sent  in  with  an  escort.  We  could  have  put  many 
in  the  bush  veldt  where  there  was  food,  but  had 
any  of  them  died  of  sickness,  the  English  would 
have  sent  the  news  broadcast  that  they  had  been 
murdered.  Evidently  they  preferred  to  be  so  mur- 
dered by  the  Boers  rather  than  be  actually  murdered 
by  their  incompetent  English  officers. 

With  few  exceptions,  certain  it  is  that  the 
British  soldier  had  but  little  respect  for  the  British 
officer.  Many  times  Lord  Kitchener  sent  his  cable- 
grams charging  the  Boers  with  maltreating  or 
murdering  some  of  the  English  prisoners,  and  after 
peace  was  made  some  British  officers  took  pleasure 
in  throwing  this  libellous  charge  into  my  face.  In 
every  instance  I  replied  "Yes,  you  make  this  charge 
against  the  Boers;  but  call  up  some  of  the  men 
who  were  taken  prisoners  at  the  same  time,  and 
let  me  hear  what  they  have  to  say  about  it."  Not 
one  of  them  would  think  of  doing  this,  because 
they  said  that  an  English  officer's  word  was  as 
good  as  his  bond.  No  English  officer  would  dare 
to  submit  the  case  to  such  a  test,  because  he  knows 
that  the  first  man  questioned  would  prove  him  a 
liar. 

I   came  near  getting  into   trouble   with  some 

308 


Major  Pretorius  Captured 

of  them  on  this  subject,  for  at  times  my  retorts 
were  very  warm  and  to  the  point,  considering  that 
I  had  just  surrendered  my  rifle,  and  was  being 
closely  watched  by  a  lot  of  hounds.  The  very  fact 
that  every  one  took  particular  pains  to  bring  up 
this  subject  was  proof  in  itself  that  they  were  lying, 
and  trying  to  find  some  one  who  might  say  that 
possibly  he  had  seen  one  man  unfairly  shot.  I 
have  seen  and  talked  with  hundreds  of  English 
prisoners,  but  never  heard  one  make  any  such  a 
charge.  In  fact,  everyone  will  tell  you  that  the 
Boers  treated  him  as  a  soldier  and  a  man,  wounded 
or  not  wounded.  In  other  parts  of  the  land,  there 
was  no  fighting  of  any  consequence. 

In  December,  although  we  had  the  usual  daily 
attacks  on  the  high  veldt,  there  is  but  one  that  I 
will  mention,  because  I  read  General  Bruce  Hamil- 
ton's report  of  it.  At  Wilkrans,  a  high  ridge  about 
nine  miles  from  Ermelo,  there  were  about  300 
of  us  camped,  with  General  Piet  Viljoen  in 
command.  From  this  position,  our  scouts  reports 
ed  that  there  were  twenty-eight  English  camps  in 
striking  distance  and  well  around  us.  Our  chances 
for  escape  were  none  too  good.  Yet  General  Piet 
Viljoen  did  not  consider  that  we  were  in  any 
danger. 

Without  going  into  details,  I  will  simply  say 
that  at  daylight  the  following  morning,  we  were 
surrounded  by  4,000  cavalry,  and  it  was  a  case  of 

309 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

run  for  your  life  or  surrender.  All  escaped  but  sixty* 
nine  men,  and  our  one  cannon.  Not  a  man  was 
killed  on  our  side,  that  is  certain,  and  if  any  were 
wounded,  they  were  taken  prisoners.  We  escaped 
under  a  hot  fire,  and  this  was  kept  up  on  us  for 
about  three  miles.  In  his  report,  General  Bruce 
Hamilton  had  sixteen  killed,  many  wounded,  whom 
he  left  at  the  farm  ruins,  and  one  gun  taken,  as  well 
as  sixty-nine  prisoners.  How  an  English  general 
can  report  such  a  monstrous  lie  is  beyond  me,  for  he 
knows  that  his  men  know,  and  that  we  know 
that  no  one  was  killed  on  the  Boer  side.  Within 
half  an  hour  after  the  English  left,  some  of  the 
boys  rode  back  to  look  over  the  place.  There  was 
but  one  man  killed  in  that  fight,  and  he  was  a 
Scotchman  whom  the  English  half  buried  before 
they  left.  Bruce  Hamilton  is  generally  known  as 
"Brute"  Hamilton,  and  while  this  name  fits  him  as 
far  as  it  goes,  yet  "Brute  Hamilton  the  liar"  would 
fit  him  still  better. 

It  was  during  this  month,  too,  that  I  suffered  the 
loss  of  my  old  friend  and  companion,  Major  J.  L>. 
Pretorius.  During  my  absence  he  and  thirty-three 
artillery  boys  were  surrounded  by  about  300  cavalry 
near  Balmoral  Station,  and  captured.  Be  it  said 
to  his  credit  that  he  and  his  men  never  surren- 
dered. Every  cartridge  they  had  they  fired,  and 
when  they  had  no  more,  the  English  simply 
came  and  took  them.  I  was  sure  he  would  never 

310 


Major  Pretorius  Captured 

hoist  the  white  flag,  and  I  was  sure,  too,  that  he 
would  never  surrender  as  long  as  he  had  a  cartridge 
left.  He  was  a  dashing  fellow,  thirty  years  old, 
and  did  not  know  what  fear  was.  He  is  one  of  the 
great  Pretorius  family  of  South  Africa,  and  he  made 
the  name  good.  Had  he  not  been  so  reckless,  I 
think  he  would  have  been  appointed  a  general,  and 
I  am  sure  he  would  have  proved  himself  a  most 
brilliant  one. 

To  show  what  a  reckless  devil  he  was,  I  will  tell 
you  that  one  day  I  was  about  1,500  yards  from  him 
and  another  reckless  fellow,  Lieutenant  Roos,  of  the 
artillery.  They  wished  to  attract  my  attention 
and  have  me  come  where  they  were.  To  do  this 
he  and  Roos  loaded  their  rifles,  took  deliberate  aim, 
and  fired  at  us.  The  bullets  went  just  over  our 
heads,  and  struck  not  twenty  feet  from  us.  We 
concluded  they  were  English,  and  prepared  to 
return  the  fire,  when  off  they  galloped.  We  went 
after  them  and  found  them  at  a  house  that  had 
only  been  partially  destroyed.  We  recognized  their 
horses  tied  to  a  tree,  and  rode  up  to  them.  I 
gave  him  blazes,  but  he  simply  smiled,  and  said, 
"Can't  you  take  a  joke?" 

Now  that  he  had  been  captured,  I  felt  very 
lonely,  and  took  but  little  pleasure  in  every-day 
life.  The  English  were  continually  after  us,  how- 
ever, and  surrounded  about  eighty  of  us  at  day- 

311 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

light  in  the  morning.  Firing  seemed  to  come  from 
all  directions  but  one,  and  in  that  direction  we 
looked  for  safety.  We  went  at  full  speed  and  had 
gone  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when  we  saw  some 
cavalry  just  coming  up  in  front  of  us.  We 
thought  we  were  gone,  and  this  cavalry  thought 
we  were  charging  them,  so  off  they  went  at  the  top 
of  their  speed.  We  were  brave  now  and  went  right 
after  them,  scattered  them  and  chased  them  three 
miles,  when  we  stopped,  having  captured  in  the 
race  sixty-three  of  them  with  as  many  fine  horses. 
That  is  what  we  considered  great  luck. 

Now  I  will  go  into  the  Free  State,  and  say  a 
few  words  about  one  of  General  De  Wet's  most 
daring  deeds. 

It  was  at  Groenkop,  a  high  hill  on  the  farm 
Tweefontein,  near  the  little  town  of  Bethlehem. 
It  was  Christmas  eve  and  all  wanted  a  Christmas 
pie.  This  was  a  high  hill  with  three  very  steep, 
abrupt  sides,  while  the  other  was  a  gentle  slope 
leading  to  the  plain  below.  On  the  top  of  this  hill 
were  about  380  men  well  protected  in  about  twelve 
forts.  General  De  Wet,  when  it  was  dark,  took 
500  men  and  approached  the  steep  side  opposite 
the  one  of  easy  ascent,  because  he  knew  that  the 
English  would  all  prepare  for  attack  from  the  eas- 
iest way.  He  and  his  men  crawled  up  that  hill, 
and  when  first  challenged  by  the  English  sentry 

312 


Major  Pretorius  Captured 

they  rushed  forward,  and  after  a  hot  face  to  face 
fight,  captured  all  the  force,  forts  and  stores.  Ac- 
cording to  General  De  Wet's  own  report,  he  lost 
fourteen  killed  and  thirty  wounded,  while  the  Eng- 
lish lost  116  dead  and  wounded,  and  240  prisoners. 
He  took  one  cannon,  one  pom-pom,  twenty 
wagons,  a  great  quantity  of  ammunition  and  rifles, 
500  horses  and  mules,  and  a  load  of  whiskey,  so  he 
and  his  men  were  well  supplied  for  a  fine  Christ- 
mas dinner. 

Strange  to  say,  the  Boers  nearly  always  took 
from  the  English  their  Christmas  dinners.  The 
first  Christmas  they  took  nearly  all  the  Queen's 
chocolates,  the  second  Christmas,  all  the  plum 
puddings,  and  now  General  De  Wet,  a  third 
Christmas,  has  taken  the  poor  devils'  Christmas 
dinner  from  them  again.  I  heard  some  prisoners 
once  say  that  they  wished  their  friends  at  home 
would  secretly  send  them  Christmas  dinners  three 
months  ahead,  so  that  they  could  get  them  and  eat 
them  before  the  Boers  found  it  out. 

Generals  Smuts  and  Kritsinger  continued  to  make 
things  merry  in  Cape  Colony,  and  their  comman- 
dants helped  themselves  to  several  convoys,  much 
to  the  regret  of  the  English,  but  with  great  pleasure 
to  themselves.  Before  the  month  closed,  however, 
General  Kritsinger  was  severely  wounded  while  try- 
ing to  rescue  one  of  his  wounded  men  near  a  block- 

313 


A  "West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

house,  and  was  in  consequence  captured.  In  this 
was  a  severe  loss,  for  he  was  a  dashing  and  persist- 
ent fighter. 

Many  other  small  fights  took  place,  and  the  Boer 
commandants  were  generally  successful  in  taking  a 
few  prisoners  and  wagons. 


314 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DESTRUCTION   OF    WOMEN    AND    CHILDREN — THE 

ONLY  WAY  TO  END  THE  WAR — SCOTS   GREYS 

ROUTED — ENGLISH  TROOPS   AND  ARMED 

KAFFIRS    FIGHT    SIDE    BY    SIDE  — 

GEN.     DE      WET      COMPLETELY 

CORNERED. 

The  year  1901  came  to  an  end  and  the  Boers 
were  still  in  excellent  spirits,  and  good  fighting  trim. 
Our  little  command  was  twenty-five  miles  from 
Pretoria,  and  in  addition  to  our  dinner  of  mealie 
pap  and  fresh  meat,  we  received  through  our  famous 
spy,  Captain  Naude,  our  weekly  mail  from  Pretoria. 
Letters  informed  us  that  Lord  Kitchener  wanted 
reinforcements  to  bring  the  war  to  a  speedy  end, 
and  that  the  application  of  martial  law  in  Cape 
Colony  was  making  trouble  among  the  British  sub- 
jects. With  all  this  the  burghers  were  highly 
pleased,  but  the  further  news,  that  their  women 
and  children  were  daily  dying  by  the  hundreds  in 
the  prison  camps,  cast  a  gloom  over  all,  and  they 
spent  most  of  the  afternoon  and  evening  in  prayer. 

Lord  Roberts,  Lord  Kitchener,  Joe  Chamberlain 
and  Milner,  all  fully  realized  that  the  only  way  to 
bring  the  war  to  a  speedy  end  was  to  destroy  the 
Boer  women  and  children  as  quickly  as  possible. 

315 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

They  all  worked  to  the  same  diabolical  end,  and  with- 
in eighteen  months  their  death  lists  contained  the 
names  of  22,000  defenceless  Boer  women  and 
children. 

The  new  year  begins  well,  for  the  burghers  are 
determined  to  fight.  They  did  not  generally  know, 
however,  that  their  women  and  children  were  being 
murdered  by  wholesale,  otherwise  I  am  sure  they 
would  have  stopped  the  war  at  once.  The  English 
columns  made  a  desperate  effort  on  the  high  veldt 
during  January,  and  it  was  fighting  here  and  there 
and  everywhere  every  day.  There  was  no  rest  for 
any  one,  and  I  think  that  General  Botha  was  corn- 
ered every  day,  but  he  was  never  found  in  the 
corner.  I  was  with  Commandant  Joacham  Prinsloo 
and  120  men  early  in  this  month  of  January,  and 
we  camped  by  the  Klip-Kopjes  about  six  miles 
from  Bronkhorst  Spruit,  a  station  on  the  Delagoa 
railway  line.  It  was  very  warm  and  we  were  try- 
ing to  shelter  ourselves  from  the  sun  by  hanging 
blankets  on  our  rifles,  when  suddenly,  about  ten 
a.  m.,  the  English  began  to  fire  on  us  from  some 
Kaffir  kraals  about  800  yards  distant.  Our  horses 
were  out  grazing,  but  within  five  minutes  all  had 
caught  their  horses,  saddled  them,  and  were  striking 
for  the  English.  The  English  scouts  left  the 
kraals  when  they  saw  the  Boers  coming  in  a  gallop. 
On  reaching  the  kraals  and  kopjes  near  by,  we 
discovered  about  700  advancing.  They  tried  at 

316 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

first  to  surround  us,  but  grew  frightened,  because 
they  saw  the  Boers  were  too  determined,  and  all 
began  to  retreat.  The  Boers  charged  and  the 
English  fled  with  the  Boers  hot  after  them.  This 
regiment  of  700  men  was  the  Scots  Greys,  and  all 
were  panic  stricken.  They  were  scattered  in  every 
direction,  and  making  for  the  forts  on  the  railway 
line.  Before  they  found  safety,  however,  the  Boers 
had  killed  seven,  wounded  eighteen,  captured 
twenty-three  men  and  nearly  sixty  horses,  bridles 
and  saddles.  The  enemy  really  put  up  no  fight  at 
all,  and  when  asked  the  reason,  they  said,  "Our 
time  is  up  in  March,  and  we  are  not  going  to  fight 
any  more,  for  we  are  tired  of  it,  and  the  English 
always  manage  to  keep  out  of  the  fight." 

I  merely  mention  this  to  show  the  feelings  of  some 
of  the  so-called  Scotch  regiments  at  this  stage 
of  the  war. 

In  the  Free  State  they  were  constantly  cornering 
General  De  Wet,  and,  although  he  was  many  tunes 
cornered,  yet  he  was  never  captured.  In  Cape 
Colony  the  Boer  commandants  kept  all  the  dis- 
tricts in  great  turmoil,  and  General  French  and  his 
big  army  seemed  helpless  to  do  anything.  Besides, 
the  blockhouses  were  giving  the  English  trouble 
too,  for  Commandant  Alex  Boshof  was  slipping  up 
nightly  and  blowing  them  up  with  dynamite.  This 
perfect  little  dare  devil,  with  his  equal,  Captain 
John  Shea,  blew  up  fifty  or  sixty  of  them,  and  so 

317 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

terrorized  the  Tommies  that  they  would  not  take 
chances  in  them  at  night.  Now,  the  commandos 
could  cross  the  lines  easily,  for  the  Tommies  would  lie 
in  trenches  and  not  shoot  if  the  Boers  let  them  alone. 

In  the  Western  Transvaal,  some  of  General  de 
la  Rev's  commandos  were  sent  after  cattle  to  the 
Maf  eking  border.  They  were  successful  and  re  turned 
with  some  20,000  head.  Little  else  was  done  in 
this  part  of  the  world.  In  the  North,  General 
Beyers  attacked  Pietersburg  and  after  a  very  hot 
fight,  released  160  Boers  whom  the  English  had 
in  a  camp  near  the  town.  Fortunately,  he  was  able 
to  take  them  out  all  mounted  and  well  armed. 

Now  I  come  to  February,  when  there  is  not  nearly 
as  much  rain  as  in  January.  During  the  month  of 
January,  heavy  rains  fall  daily,  and  as  the  Boers 
were  without  shelter  or  overcoats  and  constantly 
wet,  they  were  not  inclined  to  be  active.  In  Feb- 
ruary, they  are  dry  at  least  half  the  time,  so  one 
may  expect  them  to  do  something. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  late  in  January,  in  company 
with  Walter  Trichardt,  a  young  Colonial,  and  four 
young  Boers,  I  decided  to  cross  the  railway  line, 
and  visit  Commandant  Trichardt  and  Captain  Jack 
Hindon,  both  old  friends  of  mine.  We  foresaw 
much  trouble,  so  we  concluded  to  make  a  careful 
survey  of  the  situation  before  trying  our  luck. 
Walter  and  myself  rode  directly  towards  Balmoral 
Station,  on  the  main  road,  and  when  within  about 

318 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

two  miles  of  the  numerous  forts  and  blockhouses, 
we  halted  and  used  our  glasses.  We  could  see  no 
one  about  the  forts  or  blockhouses,  so  we  rode  on 
till  within  600  yards  of  one  of  the  largest  forts. 
Now  we  were  close  to  Balmoral,  could  see  the  poor 
women  and  children  cramped  up  in  the  beastly 
concentration  camp,  and  about  200  Tommies.  In 
the  forts  and  blockhouses  we.  could  discover  no  life 
whatever,  so  we  knew  that  all  available  men  were 
out  trying  to  corner  General  Botha. 

We  came  back,  joined  the  four  young  Boers,  re- 
turned to  the  line  within  a  mile  of  Balmoral,  cut 
twelve  barbed  wires,  and  went  on  our  way.  The 
English  had  put  up  dummy  soldiers  at  the  block- 
houses, and  dummy  cannon  on  hign  points  near 
them,  but  we  were  not  frightened  by  them  in  the 
least.  I  mention  this,  because  we  soon  had  trouble, 
and  I  witnessed  something  that  will  give  Joe  Cham- 
berlain, Lord  Kitchener  and  Lord  Milner  the  direct 
lie.  We  are  now  in  February,  and  about  twenty- 
five  miles  north  of  Middleburg.  We  are  with 
Commandant  Trichardt,  of  the  Artillery,  Captain 
Jack  Hindon  and  Captain  Karl  Trichardt.  The 
entire  command  is  213  strong.  It  is  rolling  prairie 
where  we  are  camped,  and  on  the  Middleburg 
side  are  several  thousand  cavalry,  and  on  the  north 
side  about  five  miles  distant,  some  4,000  Kaffirs 
who  had  been  armed  by  the  English.  We  kept  a 
good  look  out  both  ways.  Yet  before  the  month 

319 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

came  to  an  end,  we  were  surrounded  at  daylight 
and  suffered  severely.  Colonel  Park  with  about 
4,000  cavalry  and  600  armed  Kaffirs,  made  anight 
march  and  attacked  us  just  at  sunrise.  They  were 
on  three  sides  of  us,  and  the  4,000  armed  Kaffirs 
were  on  the  fourth  side.  They  .began  to  fire  on 
us  at  a  range  of  six  or  seven  hundred  yards,  and  as 
our  horses  were  not  saddled,  but  out  grazing, one  can 
well  imagine  that  we  were  in  a  hot  corner.  Every 
man  ran  for  his  horse  and  pack  horse,  and  under 
heavy  fire  saddled  and  packed.  Then  it  was  time  that 
every  man  should  make  a  dash  for  liberty.  We  put 
in  the  spurs  and  all  made  the  dash,  but  unfortun- 
ately only  thirty-nine  of  us  succeeded  in  escaping. 
My  pack  mule  always  followed  me,  and  although  she 
fell  far  behind  and  the  English  hurled  a  storm  of 
bullets  at  her,  yet  she  came  through  all  right, 
and  joined  me.  These  600  armed  Kaffirs  were  on  the 
English  left  flank  and  fought  in  line  with  the  Tom- 
mies; yet  Chamberlain,  Kitchener,  Roberts,  and  Mil- 
ner  all  swore  that  they  had  no  armed  Kaffirs  with 
them  in  the  war.  Now,  when  any  man  tells  me 
that  such  Englishmen  as  these  are  capable  of  tell- 
ing the  truth,  I  know  at  once  that  man  is  either  an 
Englishman  himself  or  an  Anglo-American. 

On  the  high  veldt  the  English  columns  were 
still  very  numerous,  and  there  was  daily  fighting, 
but  the  Boers  held  their  own  and  suffered  but  little. 
Commandant  Alberts  and  Veldtcornet  Tromp  air 

320 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

tacked  the  Scots  Greys,  who  had  shown  up  again, 
and  utterly  routed  them  near  Springs,  killing  and 
capturing  a  few,  and  several  horses.  These  Scots 
evidently  meant  it  when  they  told  us  in  January 
that  they  would  not  fight  any  more.  In  the  Free 
State  there  was  an  army  60,000  strong  in  the  field, 
bent  on  cornering  and  capturing  General  De  Wet. 
They  had  him  and  his  burghers  with  500  cattle  in 
a  triangle,  two  sides  of  which  were  lines  of  block- 
houses and  networks  of  barbed  wire.  On  both  sides 
the  blockhouses  were  very  near  to  each  other,  and 
all  well  manned.  It  would  seem  almost  impossible 
for  any  Boer  force  less  than  a  thousand  strong  to 
pass  through. 

On  the  third  side  were  about  40,000  English, 
and  their  plan  was  to  drive  General  De  Wet  into 
the  angle  formed  by  the  blockhouse  lines.  They 
were  advancing  rapidly,  and  General  De  Wet  knew 
that  he  must  decide  and  act  quickly,  so  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  cross  the  Lindley-Kroonstad  line  of 
blockhouses.  It  was  a  very  dark  night  and  he  had 
lost  sight  of  his  cattle,  but  there  was  no  time  to 
lose  in  trying  to  recover  them.  On  reaching  the 
line,  he  cut  out  a  passage  in  the  net  work  of  barbed 
wire  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  blockhouses  on 
either  side,  and  passed  through  without  a  shot 
being  fired.  He  went  on  for  a  few  miles  and  un- 
saddled for  the  night.  He  had  not  been  in  camp 
very  long  before  he  heard  shouting  in  the  darkness, 

321 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  much  to  his  surprise  here  came  four  young 
burghers  with  the  500  cattle  which  he  had  given 
up  as  lost.  These  youngsters  had  cut  away  the 
wires  and  driven  all  these  cattle  between  the  block- 
houses without  the  English  firing  a  shot.  The 
blockhouse  system  may  be  a  great  invention,  but  it 
is  of  no  earthly  use  when  fighting  such  an  enemy 
as  the  Boers.  I  am  sure  that  we  crossed  the 
blockhouse  lines  on  the  high  veldt  at  least  fifty 
times,  yet  I  never  heard  a  shot  from  one  of  them. 

I  remember  one  occasion  when  300  Boers,  about 
100  trek  wagons  loaded  with  women  and  children, 
and  nearly  10,000  head  of  cattle,  passed  through 
a  line  of  blockhouses,  and  not  one  shot  was  fired. 
We  were  well  surrounded,  and  on  the  following 
morning,  the  English  spent  hours  hunting  us  with- 
in the  circle,  while  we  were  at  least  ten  miles  away. 
The  English  officer  is  certainly  a  brilliant  soldier. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  after  this  that  the  English 
suddenly  came  upon  these  wagons,  women  and 
children,  and,  of  course,  captured  them.  About  an 
hour  afterwards,  a  small  Boer  commando  with  a 
French  gun  discovered  the  wagons  moving  along 
with  an  escort  of  about  fifty  Tommies.  The  Boers 
could  not  attack,  on  account  of  the  women  and 
children,  but  one  of  the  artillery  boys  thought  he 
would  see  what  effect  a  shell  would  have  on  the 
escort.  He  sighted  the  gun  so  that  the  shell  would 
be  sure  to  fall  well  to  one  side.  The  shell  struck 

322 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

and  exploded,  about  200  yards  from  the  escort,  and 
every  man  fled  as  fast  as  his  horse  could  take  him. 
Then  the  women  turned  their  wagons  about  and 
returned  to  the  Boers.  To  each  wagon  was  yoked 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  bullocks,  and  the  women 
had  to  drive  them.  It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  those 
young  and  old  ladies,  and  even  children,  working 
like  slaves  to  escape  capture  by  the  English.  They 
preferred  to  take  the  chance  of  being  shot  or  of 
dying  hi  open  field,  to  sure  death  in  the  English 
prison  camp. 

The  bird  having  escaped  for  the  hundredth  time, 
the  English  columns  went  back  to  their  respective 
stations,  and  then  General  De  Wet,  too,  returned 
to  his  old  corner. 

After  a  week's  rest,  out  came  the  English,  more 
numerous  than  ever,  and  the  general  could  see 
columns  of  them  in  every  direction.  It  was  plain 
to  him  that  they  did  not  intend  to  make  use  of 
the  blockhouse  lines,  but  to  form  a  continuous 
circle  around  him.  They  succeeded,  and  General 
De  Wet  was  again  rounded  up.  When  night 
came,  he  started  out  for  freedom  or  death,  and 
as  soon  as  his  scouts  came  in  contact  with  the 
English,  lively  firing  began.  He  ordered  his 
men  to  charge,  and  they  broke  through,  but  lost 
eleven  men  killed.  Some  of  his  commandants 
became  confused,  and  did  not  get  through,  but 
on  the  following  night,  all  broke  the  same  circle, 

323 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

with  the  exception  of  two  that  were  captured. 
Although  there  were  60,000  men  in  that  circle, 
yet  they  dug  trenches,  so  fearful  they  were  of 
General  De  Wet  and  his  men.  Maxims  and  rifles 
were  concentrated  on  the  band  of  patriots,  but  it 
faced  the  storm  of  bullets,  charged  over  the 
English  trenches,  and  De  Wet  was  free  for  the 
one  hundredth  and  first  time;  and  that  is  why  you 
will  still  hear  the  real  Englishmen  talking  about 
the  cowardly  De  Wet  and  his  burghers.  Every 
word  that  falls  from  your  lips,  Mr.  Englishman, 
is  an  unmistakable  sign  of  your  degeneracy. 

In  Cape  Colony,  General  Smuts  and  his 
numerous  commandants  were  so  active  that  an 
alarming  state  of  affairs  continued  to  prevail,  and 
the  English  shot  down,  without  trial,  many  sus- 
pected rebels  in  the  various  districts.  In  the 
Western  Transvaal,  General  de  la  Rey  had  been 
busy  in  many  parts,  but  especially  at  Yzerspruit, 
where  he  again  fell  upon  Colonel  Van  Donop, 
captured  600  prisoners,  killed  and  wounded  200, 
took  three  cannon,  a  convoy  of  150  wagons  and 
1500  mules.  This  was  a  good  afternoon's  work, 
and  General  de  la  Rey  ascribes  its  great  success 
to  the  personal  bravery  and  daring  of  General 
Celliers,  one  of  the  very  best  fighting  generals  in 
the  war.  General  Celliers,  with  less  than  500 
burghers,  proved  too  much  for  Colonel  Von  Donop 
and  his  1000  English ;  yet  the  Colonel  came  out 

324 


I 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

all  right,  for  he  reported  that  he  had  been  attacked 
by  an  overwhelming  number  of  Boers ;  this,  too, 
in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  Lord  Methuen  had 
just  swept  all  the  Boers  out  of  this  part  of  the 
country. 

To  read  a  British  commander's  glowing  report,  de- 
scribing how  thoroughly  he  has  swept  the  Boers  from 
a  certain  district,  one  is  not  apt  to  be  much  amused, 
but  following  on  his  heels  is  another  British  com- 
mander, and  to  read  his  report,  relating  how 
thoroughly  he  has  been  wiped  up  by  an  over- 
whelming force  of  Boers,  one  feels  very  much  in- 
clined to  laugh.  Not  a  week  passes  but  that  some 
of  the  English  commanders  are  guilty  of  just  such 
amusing  contradictions.  The  English  officers, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  excuse  all  these  blunders 
and  acts  of  stupidity  by  that  one  phrase,  "Attacked 
by  an  overwhelming  force  of  Boers,"  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  officer  who  has  just 
preceded  him  reported  the  same  ground  as  swept 
clean  of  the  Boers.  Lord  Kitchener  cables  these 
contradictory  reports  regularly  to  London,  and  the 
people,  with  their  eyes  bulging  out  of  their  heads, 
read  every  word  of  them,  but  not  one  ever  sees 
the  joke. 

During  the  month  of  March,  there  were  plenty 
of  small  fights  on  the  high  veldt  in  the  Free  State 
and  in  Cape  Colony,  but  none  of  them  were  of 
much  importance.  In  the  Colony,  General  Smuts 

325 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

captured  a  few  towns,  some  prisoners  and  drove 
some  of  the  English  commands  to  the  sea,  but  no 
heavy  fighting  took  place.  In  the  Western  Trans- 
vaal was  fought  the  most  brilliant  battle  of  the  war, 
at  Klipdrift  (Tweebosch)  on  the  seventh  day  of 
March.  For  more  than  two  years,  Lord  Methuen 
with  an  army  ten  times  as  strong  in  numbers  as 
that  which  General  de  la  Rey  had,  struggled  in 
vain  to  capture  or  destroy  this  Boer  leader  and  his 
little  army  of  patriots.  They  had  fought  over 
thirty  battles,  yet  Lord  Methuen  could  not  lay  claim 
to  one  real  victory  over  General  de  la  Rey.  On 
this  seventh  of  March,  1902,  Lord  Methuen  with 
four  cannon,  1,600  men  and  134  wagons, 
arrived  at  Klipdrift,  a  beautiful  place  for  a  fight  or 
a  good  horse  race.  General  de  la  Rey,  with  740 
men, made  up  his  mind  to  take  in  Methuen  and  show 
his  burghers  a  real  earthly  Lord.  He  could  see  that 
Lord  Methuen  was  well  prepared  to  fight,  and  that  if 
he  were  to  win  he  must  win  quickly.  He  went 
to  each  of  his  740  men,  and  told  them  that  at  the 
command,  "Charge,"  all  must  use  their  spurs  and 
lose  no  time  in  taking  in  the  cavalry  rear  guard. 
All  being  in  readiness,  the  old  war-horse  gave 
his  signal,  and  his  740  patriots  responded.  Away 
they  went,  with  the  old  war  horse  in  the  lead.  It 
was  a  charge,  a  real  cavalry  charge,  and  with  such 
force  did  those  740  patriots  go  over  that  broad 
beautiful  plain,  that  the  500  English  cavalry  rear 

326 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

guard  fled  at  the  very  sight  of  them.  A  few  fol- 
lowed the  fleeing  cavalry,  and  the  main  body  went  for 
the  infantry.  So  frightened  were  they  that  most 
of  the  infantry  threw  their  rifles  down  and  their  hands 
up,  while  the  rest  took  quarter  in  a  kraal  with 
Lord  Methuen.  The  cavalry  was  still  running 
and  the  burghers  still  pursuing,  but  the  latter's 
horses  were  not  fast  enough,  and  they  finally  had 
to  abandon  the  chase.  Lord  Methuen  made  a 
short  stand  in  the  kraal  and  then  hoisted  his  white 
flag. 

All  was  over.  Lord  Methuen  and  900  of  his 
men  were  prisoners,  nearly  200  of  his  men  were 
killed,  and  163  wounded.  In  addition  to  Lord 
Methuen  and  his  men,  General  de  la  Rey  also  cap- 
tured four  cannon,  134  loaded  wagons,  500  horses, 
and  nearly  1,000  mules.  At  best,  little  de  la  Rey, 
the  farmer,  the  Boer  general,  had  taken  in  Lord 
Methuen,  the  second  in  command  in  South  Africa, 
a  trained  soldier  with  a  trained  force  more  than 
double  that  of  the  untrained  farmer.  Lord 
Methuen  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  and  the  bone  was 
broken,  therefore  he  was  severely  wounded  and 
must  receive  every  care  and  attention. 

Some  five  months  before  this  fight,  Lord  Methuen 
was  fortunate  enough  to  capture  Mrs.  de  la  Rey 
and  her  children,  during  the  general's  absence. 
Her  wagons,  her  food,  clothing  and  every  bit  of 
bedding  were  set  aflame,  and  burnt  up,  and  she 

327 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  her  children  were  left  on  the  bare  veldt  to 
starve  or  die,  because  General  de  la  Rey  had  so  often 
defeated  Lord  Methuen  in  honorable  battle.  Mrs. 
de  la  Rey  took  refuge  in  an  old  hut,  after  walking 
several  miles  in  search  of  some  Boers  who  might  be 
near  by.  She  had  to  suffer  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
expose  herself  to  beating  rains,  and  with  sore  feet 
cross  the  barren  veldt  in  search  of  some  of  her 
people.  When  almost  exhausted  from  hunger, 
fatigue  and  pain,  she  and  her  little  ones  were 
found  by  the  Boers  and  immediately  cared  for. 

Now  I  return  to  Tweebosch,  where  Lord 
Methuen  lies  prostrate  arid  suffering  great  pain. 
It  was  Mrs.  de  la  Rey  that  came  to  help  comfort 
him,  to  prepare  his  food,  and  pray  for  his  recovery. 
I  have  often  wondered  if  Lord  Methuen,  as  he  lay 
on  his  sick  bed,  ever  recalled  the  good  time  he 
had,  when  with  fire  and  dynamite  he  destroyed 
General  de  la  Rey's  beautiful  home  and  all  his 
property.  I  think  not.  General  de  la  Rey  showed 
his  savage  instinct  by  sending  Lord  Methuen  and 
all  his  wounded  men  and  prisoners  back  to  their 
own  people,  where  they  could  receive  more  comfort 
and  better  surgical  treatment. 

Some  time  after  Lord  Methuen's  return,  General 
de  la  Rey  was  summoned  to  the  Peace  Conference, 
and  as  his  path  led  him  near  by,  he  stopped  to  see 
how  Lord  Methuen  was  progressing.  After  a 
short  conversation,  so  it  is  related,  Lord  Methuen 

328 


Destruction  of  Women  and  Children 

said:  "You  know,  general,  that  that  was  not  my 
own  column  you  captured."  "Yes,  that  is  true ," 
replied  the  general,  "I  remember  that  I  took  in 
your  own  column  some  months  ago." 

Before  the  month   closed,    General   de  la  Rey 

found  an  opportunity  to  test  the  Kitchener  blood, 

and  took  advantage  of  it.     It  was  on  March  31st 

that  General  de  la  Rey  attacked  General  Walter 

Kitchener  and  his  convoy.     Although  he  failed  to 

capture  the  convoy,  which  only  narrowly  escaped, 

so  disastrous  was  this  fight  in  the  loss  of  men  killed 

and  wounded,  that  it  was  generally  believed  that 

General  Kitchener  would  be  sent  home  in  disgrace. 

But  being  a  brother  of  Lord   Kitchener,  he  was 

probably  decorated  with  the  V.  C.  for  his  rapid 

flight  and  escape  from  General  de  la  Rey.     When 

the  English  run  up  against  three  such  old  farmers 

as  Oom  Koos  de  la  Rey,  Chris  de  Wet  and  Louis 

Botha,  many  are  liable  to  find  a  grave,  while  he 

who  reaps  honors  must  have  shown  his  running 

ability  to  be  most  excellent.     With  their  numerous 

maxims  and  guns  and  their  great  preponderance  in 

men,  all  thoroughly  trained,  the  English  should 

have  easily  won  all  the  important  fights  of  the  war, 

but,  thanks  to  British  stupidity  and  incompetency, 

the  Boers  were  almost  invariably  the  victors. 

The  last  fight  of  the  war  was  fought  in  the  first 
part  of  April,  near  Heidelburg.  Commandant 
Joacham  Prinsloo,  a  young  and  energetic  Boer,  a 

329 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

most  gracious  and  lovable  man,  one  of  the  best 
officers  I  ever  saw,  here  made  his  last  charge. 
Preceding  the  charge,  a  very  hot  fight  took  place, 
and  Commandant  Prinsloo  received  two  bad 
wounds,  but  he  nerved  himself  up,  ordered  and  led 
his  last  charge,  saw  the  last  battle  of  the  war  a 
victory,  and  the  last  shot  fired  in  that  last  battle 
gave  the  commandant  a  third  wound,  a  fatal  one, 
and  he  rolled  from  his  horse  and  died  a  contented 
patriot. 

The  brave  Veldtcornet  Vander  Walt,  badly 
wounded  himself,  felt  sorely  grieved  as  he  gazed 
upon  the  lifeless  remains  of  his  beloved  command- 
er, but  consoled  himself  in  the  knowledge  that 
Commandant  Prinsloo  had  lived  to  see  his  enemy 
utterly  routed. 


330 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PEACE   TERMS — PROCEDURE   TO   BE    ADOPTED    IN 

SELECTING      PRISONERS     OF      WAR 

FOR  RETURN  TO  SOUTH 

AFRICA 

It  was  about  the  beginning  of  April,  that  Acting 
President  Burger  received  from  Lord  Kitchener  a 
copy  of  the  correspondence  that  had  passed  between 
the  British  and  Netherlands  Governments.  As  this 
related  to  peace  in  South  Africa,  Schalk  Burger,  so 
he  said,  took  this  act  of  Lord  Kitchener  as  an  invi- 
tation to  discuss  terms  and  the  termination  of  the 
war.  All  knew  that  Schalk  Burgher,  Lucas  Meyer 
and  J.  B.  Krogh  were  always  anxious  to  surrender 
or  make  peace  at  any  price,  and  for  this  reason  every 
one  of  them  should  have  been  removed,  and  patriotic 
men  put  in  their  places. 

It  was  just  a  year  ago  that  Schalk  Burger  sent 
that  letter  to  President  Steyn  begging  him  to  sur- 
render, as  the  people  were  starving  and  it  was  im- 
possible to  fight  any  longer.  Yet  the  burghers  had 
fought  another  year,  had  been  more  successful  than 
at  any  other  time  during  the  war,  and  all  were  still 
fat,  saucy  and  in  high  spirits.  However,  he  man- 
aged again  to  get  a  meeting  of  the  two  governments, 

831 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

which  was  authorized  by  Lord  Kitchener.  As  Lord 
Kitchener,  Lord  Roberts,  Joe  Chamberlain  and 
Milner  were  continually  telling  the  English  public 
that  it  was  the  officers,  and  not  the  burghers,  who 
were  carrying  on  the  war,  it  was  decided  to  have  a 
conference  of  delegates,  duly  elected  and  instructed 
by  the  burghers  themselves.  For  this  purpose,  all 
military  operations  were  suspended  and  the  different 
commandos  in  their  respective  districts  came 
together  to  make  known  their  feelings  and  elect  a 
delegate. 

I  was  then  with  the  Johannesburg  Commando,  on 
the  Sabi  River,  near  Lydenburg.  Lucas  Meyer 
and  J.  B.  Krogh  arrived  with  the  necessary  in- 
tructions,  and  explained  everything  to  the  burghers. 
They  tried  in  every  way  to  deceive  the  burghers 
into  voting  for  surrender  and  peace,  but  utterly 
failed.  Every  man  in  the  commando  declared  for 
independence  or  war,  and  the  men  of  the  Lyden- 
burg Commando  did  the  same. 

Commandant  W.  J.  Viljoen  was  elected  as 
delegate  by  his  men,  the  Johannesburg  Commando, 
and  Commandant  David  Schoeman  was  elected  as 
delegate  by  his  men,  the  Lydenburg  Commando. 
I  heard  both  of  these  commandants  pledge  their 
words  to  do  as  their  burghers  wished,  and  stand 
for  independence  or  war.  Both  of  these  comman- 
dants at  the  Conference  stood  for  discontinuing  the 
war  and  accepting  the  British  proposals.  With  the 

382 


Peace  Terms 

exception  of  two  or  three  small  districts,  all  the 
burghers  of  the  land  were  unanimous  in  declaring 
for  war  or  independence.  I  must  here  state,  how- 
ever, that  the  burghers  did  not  know  at  the  time 
that  22,000  of  their  women  and  children  had  been 
murdered  in  the  English  prison  camps,  and  that 
probably  in  another  year  all  the  rest  would  meet 
the  same  fate. 

The  delegates  all  being  elected,  they  met,  sixty  in 
number,  on  May  15th,  at  Vereeninging,  on  the  Vaal 
River.  On  the  31st  of  May,  they  agreed  to  accept 
the  English  proposals,  as  follows: 

PEACE  TERMS. 

General  Lord  Kitchener  of  Khartoum,  Command- 
er-in-Chief,  and  His  Excellency  Lord  Milner,  High 
Commissioner,  on  behalf  of  the  British  Goverment; 

Messrs.  S.  W.  Burger,  F.  W.  Reitz,  Louis  Botha, 
J.  H.  de  la  Rey,  L.  J.  Meijers,  and  J.  B.  Krogh, 
on  behalf  of  the  Government  of  the  South  African 
Republic  and  its  burghers; 

Messrs.  M.  T.  Steyn,  W.  J.  C.  Brebner,  C.  R. 
de  Wet,  J.  B.  M.  Hertzog,  and  C.  H.  Olivier,  on 
behalf  of  the  Government  of  the  Orange  Free  State 
and  its  burghers,  being  anxious  to  put  an  end  to 
the  existing  hostilities,  agree  on  the  following 
points: 

Firstly:    The  burgher  forces  now  in  the  veldt 

333 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

shall  at  once  lay  down  their  arms,  and  surrender 
all  the  guns,  small  arms,  and  war  stores  in  their 
actual  possession,  or  of  which  they  have  cognizance, 
and  shall  abstain  from  any  further  opposition  to 
the  authority  of  His  Majesty,  King  Edward  VII., 
whom  they  acknowledge  as  their  lawful  sovereign. 
The  manner  and  details  of  this  surrender  shall 
be  arranged  by  Lord  Kitchener,  Commandant- 
General  Botha,  Assistant-Commandant  General 
J.  H.  de  la  Rey,  and  Commander-in-Chief  De  Wet. 

Secondly:  Burghers  in  the  veldt  beyond  the 
frontiers  of  the  Transvaal  and  of  the  Orange  River 
Colony,  and  all  prisoners  of  war  who  are  out  of 
South  Africa,  who  are  burghers,  shall,  on  their 
declaration  that  they  accept  the  status  of  subjects 
of  His  Majesty  King  Edward  VII. ,  be  brought 
back  to  their  homes,  as  soon  as  transport  and  means 
of  subsistence  can  be  assured. 

Thirdly:  The  burghers  who  thus  surrender,  or 
who  thus  return,  shall  lose  neither  their  personal 
freedom  nor  their  property. 

Fourthly:  No  judicial  proceedings,  civil  or  crim- 
inal, shall  be  taken  against  any  of  the  burghers  who 
thus  return,  for  any  action  in  connection  with  the 
carrying  on  of  the  war.  The  benefit  of  this  clause, 
shall,  however,  not  extend  to  certain  deeds  an- 
tagonistic to  the  usages  of  warfare,  which  have 
been  communicated  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  to 

834 


Peace  Terms 

the  Boer  Generals,  and  which  shall  be  heard  before 
a  court-martial  immediately  after  the  cessation  of 
hostilities. 

Fifthly:  The  Dutch  language  shall  be  taught  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  Transvaal  and  of  the 
Orange  River  Colony  when  the  parents  of  children 
demand  it;  and  shall  be  admitted  in  the  Courts  of 
Justice,  whenever  this  is  required  for  the  better 
and  more  effective  administration  of  justice. 

Sixthly:  The  possession  of  rifles  shall,  on  taking 
out  a  license  in  accordance  with  the  law,  be  per- 
mitted in  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  River 
Colony  to  persons  who  require  them  for  their 
protection. 

Seventhly:  Military  administration  in  the  Trans- 
vaal and  in  the  Orange  River  Colony  shall,  as  soon  as 
it  is  possible,be  followed  by  civil  government;  and  as 
soon  as  circumstances  permit  it  a  representative  sys- 
tem tending  towards  autonomy  shall  be  introduced. 

Eighthly:  The  question  of  granting  a  franchise  to 
the  native  shall  not  be  decided  until  a  represen- 
tative constitution  has  been  granted. 

Ninthly:  No  special  tax  shall  be  laid  on  landed 
property  in  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  River 
Colony,  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  war. 

Tenthly:  As  soon  as  circumstances  permit,  there 
shall  be  appointed  in  each  district  in  the  Transvaal 
and  the  Orange  River  Colony  a  Commission,  in 
which  the  inhabitants  of  that  district  shall  be  rep- 

335 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

resented,  under  the  chairmanship  of  a  magistrate 
or  other  official,  with  the  view  to  assist  in  the  bring- 
ing back  of  the  people  to  their  farms,  and  in  pro- 
curing for  those  who,  on  account  of  losses  in  the 
war,  are  unable  to  provide  for  themselves,  food, 
shelter,  and  such  quantities  of  seed,  cattle,  im- 
plements, etc.,  as  are  necessary  for  the  resuming  of 
their  previous  callings. 

His  Majesty's  Government  shall  place  at  the  dis- 
posal of  these  Commissions  the  sum  of  £3, 000,000 
for  the  above  mentioned  purposes,  and  shall  allow 
that  all  notes  issued  in  conformity  with  Law  No.  1, 
1900,  of  the  Government  of  the  South  African 
Republic,  and  all  receipts  given  by  the  officers  in 
the  veldt  of  the  late  Republics,  or  by  their  order, 
may  be  presented  to  a  judicial  Commission  by  the 
Government,  and  in  case  such  notes  and  receipts 
when  found  by  this  Commission  to  have  been  duly 
issued  for  consideration  in  value,  then  they  shall 
be  accepted  by  the  said  Commission  as  proof  of  war 
losses,  suffered  by  the  persons  to  whom  they  had 
originally  been  given.  In  addition  to  the  above- 
named  free  gift  of  £3,000,000,  His  Majesty's  Gov- 
ernment will  be  prepared  to  grant  advances,  in  the 
shape  of  loans,  for  the  same  ends,  free  of  interest 
for  two  years,  and  afterwards  payable  over  a  period 
of  years  with  three  per  cent,  interest.  No  for- 
eigner or  rebel  shall  be  entitled  to  benefit  by  this 
clause. 

336 


Peace  Terms 

The  war  was  now  over  and  temporary  peace  once 
more  reigned  over  the  land.  The  burghers  on  hear- 
ing the  news  that  peace  was  declared  were  wild 
with  delight,  and  great  was  their  rejoicing,  for  they 
were  sure  that  independence  had  been  granted. 
But  when  they  heard,  tAvo  days  afterwards,  that  it 
was  practically  an  unconditional  surrender,  they 
were  frantic  with  rage,  and  some  even  threatened  to 
kill  their  delegates.  When  they  again  heard  that 
22,000  of  their  women  and  children  had  been  mur- 
dered in  the  English  camps,  and  that  to  continue 
the  war  for  another  year  would  probably  mean  the 
extinction  of  their  race,  all  were  silent,  and  are 
silent  yet,  but  doing  much  thinking. 

Some  families  became  totally  extinct  during  the 
war,  and  there  is  not  one  in  the  land  to-day  that 
is  not  in  mourning  for  the  loss  of  one  or  more  rela- 
tives. Any  one  of  the  so-called  great  civilized 
nations  of  the  world  may  send  an  overwhelming 
army  to  a  distant  land  and  murder  and  enslave  a 
humane,  God-fearing  and  noble  race  of  people,  and 
not  one  murmur  of  disapproval  will  be  heard  from 
the  others.  But  let  some  interfering  missionary  go 
to  China,  stick  his  nose  in  other  people's  religious 
affairs,  and  render  himself  so  obnoxious  as  to  lose 
his  head,  then  all  the  civilized  nations  will  rise  as 
one,  denounce  the  act  and  demand  the  immediate 
execution  of  the  party  who  had  probably  done  a 
good  service  for  his  state  and  mankind.  Yes,  all 

337 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

civilized  nations  might  be  sublimely  humane  if  they 
were  not  so  beastly  savage. 

PEACE  AND  RESULT. — CORONATION 

The  Peace  Terms  being  duly  signed,  all  the 
commandos  went  to  certain  specified  places  in 
their  respective  districts  and  surrendered  their 
arms.  Of  course,  no  one  had  any  ammunition,  but 
each  one  turned  in  a  gun  of  some  kind,  and  some 
of  the  most  antiquated  guns  I  ever  saw  were  ten- 
dered, but  they  had  a  hole  in  them,  and  at  some 
distant  time  in  the  past  had  been  fired;  so  no  com- 
plaint was  made  by  the  receiving  officer. 

In  General  de  la  Key's  districts  there  were  many 
who  would  not  give  their  guns  in  person  to  the  Eng- 
lish, but  piled  them  up  on  the  veldt  and  told  Gen- 
eral de  la  Rey  to  do  with  them  as  he  pleased.  The 
receiving  officers,  on  arrival,  asked  where  the 
burghers  were,  and  on  being  informed  that  they  had 
gone,  seemed  very  much  put  out  because  they  were 
most  anxious  to  get  every  man's  full  name,  his  dis- 
trict, etc.  Then  again,  there  are  several  who  never 
surrendered  any  rifle  at  all,  but  the  English  do  not 
know  who  they  are,  and  probably  never  will. 
Together  with  the  Johannesburg  Commando,  I 
surrendered  my  rifle  at  Potlood  Spruit,  a  short 
distance  from  Lydenburg. 

After  all  was  over,  the  English  intended  to  put 
the  boys  of  the  Irish  Brigade  over  the  border.  I 

338 


Peace  Terms 

told  the  boys  to  tell  them  that  they  would  have  to 
put  a  rifle  at  each  one's  back,  to  get  him  to  obey. 
They  did  as  directed,  and  the  English  officers 
thought  it  best  to  drop  the  matter. 

It  was  fifty  miles  to  Machadadorp,  the  nearest 
railway  station,  and  having  received  our  permits, 
Commandant  Pinaar,  Veldtcornet  Young,  Captain 
Blignault,  Lieutenant  Malan  and  myself  mounted 
our  horses  and  started  for  Pretoria.  We  camped 
at  Klip  River  where  there  was  a  small  number  of 
men  in  a  fort  commanded  by  a  major. 

The  Tommies  were  very  civil  to  us,  and  many 
of  them,  together  with  a  young  2nd  lieutenant 
gathered  about  us.  In  the  course  of  the  conver- 
sation, a  sergeant  said,  to  us,  "Why  did  you  sur- 
render?" We  answered  that  we  supposed  we  had 
to,  and  asked  him  if  he  were  not  pleased.  "Yes," 
he  replied;  but  he  said:  "Do  you  see  that  major 
standing  under  that  willow  tree  by  the  forts?"  "Yes," 
we  answered,  "we  see  him."  "Well,"  he  continued, 
44we  just  wanted  one  more  fight,  so  that  we  could 
knock  him  over,  too."  We  were  naturally  very 
much  surprised  that  an  English  sergeant  should 
make  such  a  remark  in  the  presence  of  an  English 
officer,  but  the  latter  seemed  to  take  no  exception 
to  it. 

More  than  2500  English  officers  were  killed 
during  the  war,  and  the  English  press  explain  it 
by  charging  that  the  Boers  deliberately  picked 

339 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

them  out  and  shot  them.  The  fact  is  that  at  a 
distance  of  200  yards,  no  one  could  distinguish 
between  an  English  officer  and  an  English  soldier, 
because  in  appearance  they  were  indentically  the 
same.  When  in  our  presence,  we  could  distinguish 
the  difference,  because  the  officer's  uniform  was  of 
a  much  finer  quality  of  goods.  The  English 
prisoners  used  to  tell  us  that  they  had  evened  up 
with  this  officer,  and  that  one,  and  that  many  more 
were  doomed  before  the  war  came  to  an  end. 

It  is  almost  certain  that  the  English  killed  more 
than  half  the  number  of  officers  who  fell,  because 
they  so  utterly  despised  them.  Being  so  neglected, 
and  treated  worse  than  dogs,  the  English  soldiers 
take  advantage  of  the  first  favorable  opportunity 
for  their  revenge.  Those  English  officers  who  look 
after  their  men  and  treat  them  as  human  beings 
will  never  fail  to  find  the  English  soldier  respect- 
ful, obedient  and  faithful. 

It  was  about  June  20th  when  we  reached  Pre- 
toria, and  here  we  found  hundreds  of  the  burghers 
who  had  already  surrendered  near  by  Pretoria. 
Without  exception  I  found  every  one  disgusted 
with  the  Peace  Conference,  and  as  they  explained 
why  they  thought  peace  was  made,  I  wondered  if 
Schalk  Burger,  Lucas  Meyer,  and  J.  B.  Krogh  did 
not  each  feel  as  if  his  ears  were  on  fire. 

Although  we  had  not  seen  Pretoria  for  two  years, 
yet  we  could  observe  no  change  except  in  the  new 

340 


DAUGHTERS  OF  LANDROST  SCHUTTE 
Of   Pretoria. 


Peace  Terms 

faces  we  met  on  the  streets.  Once  we  knew  every 
face,  but  now  we  scarcely  saw  one  that  we  had 
known  before.  The  Boer  element  of  the  town  re- 
mained away  from  the  frequented  streets,  because 
they  did  not  wish  to  mingle  with  the  English. 
When  the  Peace  Terms  were  signed,  it  was  dis- 
tinctly agreed  between  Lord  Kitchener  and  Lord 
Milner,  and  the  two  Governments,  that  no 
burgher  was  to  be  required  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  King,  and  the  burghers  in  the 
field  before  the  surrender  were  so  informed. 

Now,  to  show  what  dependence  can  be  put  upon 
an  English  officer's  word,  I  will  tell  you  just  what 
happened.  Married  men  were  most  anxious  to  re- 
move from  the  concentration  camps  what  was  left 
of  their  families.  They  purchased  food,  supplies, 
bedding,  clothing,  etc.,  put  all  together  with  their 
families  in  open  car  trucks  to  be  carried  to  the 
railway  station  nearest  their  farms,  and  there  de- 
posited. Others  loaded  their  provisions,  etc.,  and 
their  families  in  bullock  wagons.  No  one  could  go 
any  where  without  a  permit,  and  now  that  these 
farmers  were  ready  with  their  families  to  go  to 
their  burnt  farms,  they  applied  for  their  permits. 
All  were  informed  that  permits  would  be  granted 
as  soon  as  they  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
King,  and  not  before.  With  one  or  two  exceptions, 
all  refused  to  take  the  oath,  and  I  saw  one  burgher 
remove  every  thing  from  his  car  truck,  and  go  into 

341 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

camp  on  the  hill  side.  This  created  plenty  of 
trouble,  and  the  burghers  were  highly  incensed. 
The  Boer  generals  told  Lord  Milner  that  if  he  did 
not  make  his  word  good  in  regard  to  his  agreement 
about  the  oath  of  allegiance,  they  would  not  be 
responsible  for  the  result.  Lord  Milner  then 
granted  the  permits,  and  the  burghers  went  to  their 
farms. 

Now  another  scheme  was  tried,  and  a  few  of  the 
burghers  were  caught  in  the  trap.  Of  course  all 
the  Boer  families  were  much  scattered,  some  being 
in  Natal,  others  in  Cape  Colony,  others  in  the  Free 
State  and  others  still  in  the  Transvaal.  Suppose 
my  farm  and  home  were  in  the  Transvaal  and  my 
family  were  in  the  Free  State  or  Cape  Colony,  and 
I  should  ask  for  a  permit  to  go  and  bring  it.  The 
permit  would  be  granted  at  once,  and  I  would 
take  the  train  for  the  Free  State  or  Colony, 
as  the  case  might  be.  I  meet  my  family,  make  all 
arrangements  to  return  and  then  apply  for  my 
permit  for  myself  and  family  to  return  to  our  home 
in  the  Transvaal.  We  are  promptly  informed  that 
the  permit  will  be  granted  as  soon  as  I  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  King.  I  was  surprised 
that  the  women  and  children  were  not  called  upon 
to  take  the  oath  too.  I  must  now  either  stay  in 
the  Free  State  or  Colony,  or  take  the  oath,  as  there 
is  no  way  by  which  I  can  communicate  with  the 
Boer  Generals. 

342 


PREDICANT   BOSSMAN  OF  PRETORIA 

threatened  with  imprisonment  for  his  free  speech. 


Peace  Terms 

Every  letter  was  opened  and  censored  and 
forwarded  or  not,  as  the  English  officer  might 
decide.  Secret  instructions  had  been  sent  to  all 
officials  in  South  Africa,  that  no  return  permits 
must  be  given  unless  the  applicants  first  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance.  About  a  dozen  burghers 
were  caught  in  this  trap  before  it  was  exposed. 
Again  there  was  much  trouble,  but  the  burghers 
could  get  no  satisfaction,  so  they  would  write  to 
their  families  to  come  to  them,  and  the  English 
could  not  refuse  them  permits,  because  they 
were  not  required  to  take  the  oath. 

The  Peace  Terms  required  that  all  burghers 
should  lay  down  their  guns  and  acknowledge 
King  Edward  VII.  as  their  lawful  sovereign, 
and  no  more.  This  applied  to  prisoners  of  war 
in  the  same  way  as  to  the  burghers  in  the  field. 
Here  I  insert  a  private  document  giving  private 
instructions,  and  it  shows  plainly  what  an  un- 
scrupulous thing  an  English  official  or  officer  is. 

PROCEDURE  TO  BE  ADOPTED 

IN   SELECTING    PRISONERS    OF    WAR 

FOR  RETURN  TO  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

I.      CLASSIFICATION  OF  PRISONERS  IN  ORDER 
OF  RETURN. 

The  selection  of  prisoners  of  war  for  return 
to  South  Africa  should  be  made  in  the  following 
order : 

343 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

1.  Those    who   have   volunteered   for   active 
service,   and    are    considered    likely    to   become 
loyal    subjects    and    useful   settlers;   and    those 
who  appear   willing  to  accept  the  new   order  of 
things  cheerfully. 

2.  Those  who  have  shown  no  particular  bias. 

3.  Irreconcilables,  and    men  who  have  given 
trouble  in  the  camps. 

Lists  of  all  prisoners  of  war  have  been  pre- 
pared by  the  D.  M.  I.,  S.  A.,  in  conjunction 
with  the  local  authorities  of  each  district,  div- 
ided into  three  categories,  and  it  is  desirable 
that  this  order  should  be  maintained,  as  far  as 
possible,  and  the  lists  made  out  by  command- 
ants of  oversea  camps,  combined  with  the  lists 
forwarded  from  South  Africa,  the  corresponding 
classes  being  merged  together. 

It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  lists  supplied 
from  South  Africa  are  merely  a  general  guide, 
and  commandants  of  camps  are  invited  to  use 
their  discretion  in  modifying  the  order,  where 
their  experience  of  the  individual  convinces 
them  that  an  alteration  is  necessary. 

No  shipload  of  prisoners  of  war  should  include 
more  than  100  men  belonging  to  any  one  dis- 
trict. 

II.       OATH. OF  ALLEGIANCE. 

No  prisoner  of  war  should  be  embarked  with- 
344 


MRS.  BOSSMAN,  WIFE  OF  THE  PREDICANT 


Peace  Terms 

out  taking  the  Oath  of  Allegiance,  or  the  ap- 
proved equivalent  declaration.  The  oath  or 
declaration  must  be  signed  in  triplicate,  and  it 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the  prisoner 
should  retain  one  copy  of  the  form,  for  purposes 
of  identification,  and  that  one  copy  should  be 
forwarded  to  the  Colonial  Secretary  of  the  pris- 
oner's Colony  for  record. 

III.      NOMINAL  ROLLS  TO  BE  SENT  IN  ADVANCE 
OF  PRISONERS. 

To  facilitate  the  work  of  repatriation  in  South 
Africa,  a  nominal  roll  of  all  prisoners  should  be 
posted  to  the  Military  Secretary  to  the  High 
Commissioner,  at  least  a  fortnight  before  em- 
barkation. 

This  nominal  roll  should  give  the  prisoner- of- 
war's  number,  and  the  farm,  district  and  colony 
to  which  he  belongs. 

IV.   SPECIAL  LISTS. 

Special  lists  will  be  forwarded  from  time  to 
time,  of  men  whose  early  release  is  approved  by 
the  High  Commissioner,  and  these  men  should 
have  precedence  of  all  others ;  similarly,  names 
may  be  sent  of  men  whose  early  return  is  not 
considered  advisable,  and  such  men  should  in 
each  case  remain  till  the  last. 

345 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

V.      PRISONERS  ALLOWED  TO  GO  AT  OWN 
EXPENSE. 

Prisoners  of  war  who  take  the  Oath  of  Alleg- 
iance, and  who  belong  to  Class  L,  may  be  per- 
mitted to  proceed  forthwith  — 

(a)  To  South  Africa,  (provided  they  have  the 
means  of  supporting  themselves  on  arrival.) 

(b)  Elsewhere.     In  each  case   at  their    own 
expense. 

The  names  of  prisoners  released  under  this 
clause,  and  the  ships  by  which  they  sail,  should 
be  communicated  to  the  Military  Secretary  to 
the  High  Commissioner,  by  telegraph,  in  the 
case  of  persons  returning  to  South  Africa,  and 
by  post  in  other  cases. 

VI.       PREFERENCE    TO    BE    GIVEN    TO    MEN 

WITH    FAMILIES   IN    SOUTH   AFRICA   AND    TO 

FARM  OWNERS. 

It  will  be  advisable  in  compiling  the  lists 
mentioned  in  par.  L,  to  include  only  a  small 
percentage  of  unmarried  men  without  farms  or 
means  of  livelihood,  and  to  push  forward  as 
much  as  possible,  men  having  families  who 
need  their  support,  and  farms  to  which  they 
can  go  immediately  on  arrival  in  South  Africa, 
as  it  is  this  class  who  provide  the  work  for  the 
bijwoner  class,  whose  return  for  this  reason,  it  is 
necessary  to  retard. 

346 


Peace  Terms 

VII.      FOREIGNERS. 

Foreigners  will  not  be  allowed  to  return  to 
South  Africa. 

VIII.      PROCEDURE  ON  ARRIVAL  IN  SOUTH 
AFRICA. 

On  arrival  of  prisoners  in  South  Africa,  the 
S.  O.  Prisoners  of  War  at  the  port  of  disembarka- 
tion will  take  over  the  prisoners  of  war,  classify 
them  according  to  districts,  and  arrange  with 
the  Repatriation  Board  in  the  two  colonies  for 
their  distribution.  The  Repatriation  Board  will 
then  make  all  necessary  arrangements  at  the  dis- 
trict concentration  camp  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  burghers,  and  for  returning  them  to  their 
homes  as  soon  as  transport  is  available. 

In  the  ease  of  prisoners  of  war  released  in  ac- 
cordance with  par.  V.  of  these  instructions,  the 
S.  O.  Prisoners  of  War  at  port  of  disembarka- 
tion will  arrange  to  meet  them  and  take  the 
particulars  necessary  for  keeping  all  complete 
records. 

W.  LAMBTON,  LIEUT.-COLONEL, 
Military  Secretary, 

South  Africa. 
Pretoria,  Fourth  of  July,  1902. 

By  the  Peace  Terms  all  prisoners  of  war  were  to 
be  returned  as  promptly  as  possible,  yet  there  are 
still  prisoners  of  war  on  some  of  the  Islands  to-day, 

347 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

ten  months  after  the  Peace  was  made.     The  above 
document  shows  plainly  how  determined  an  Eng- 
lishman is  to  violate  his  sacred  pledge.     When  I 
say  that  no  Boer  now  would  believe  on  oath  either 
Lord  Roberts,  Lord   Kitchener,  Lord  Milner,  Joe 
Chamberlain,  or  any  other  English  official,  I  mean 
just  what  I  say,  and  I  am  sure  the  Boers  are  justi- 
fied.    On  the  day  that  the  Coronation  services  were 
to  be  held,  all  Dutch  churches  were  to  sing  "God 
Save  the  King"  at  the  conclusion  of  the  services. 
In  Cape  Colony  armed  men  were  actually  present 
in  some  instances.     In  not  one  Dutch  church  in 
the  land  was  the  order  obeyed,  and  English  bayo- 
nets could  not  have  made  the  people  sing  it,  so  re- 
pulsive is  it  to  them.     Even  inscriptions  on  corner 
stones  of  public  buildings  were  chiseled  off,  that 
something  in  English  might  be  put  in  their  places. 
The  English  had  shown  so  much  meanness  and 
treachery,  that   on   the   day  for    the   Coronation 
services  to  be  held,  all  of  the  800  or  1,000  burgh- 
ers in  town  pinned  on  their   coats  the  Transvaal 
colors,    and    decorated     all    the    Boer    children 
with  them.     I  didir  t  like  to  be  behind,  so  I  pinned 
mine  on,  too.     As  the  English  had  no  love  for  me 
and  were  actually  thirsting  for  my  blood,  I  stayed 
with    my    friends,    the    Boers.     Six  times    that 
morning  I  was  ordered  to  remove  my  colors,  and 
six  times  refused,  telling  them  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  me  to  do  so,  and  that  they  would  have  to  do 

348 


Peace  Terms 

it.  In  every  instance  they  took  a  look  at  my  asso- 
ciates, and  walked  away.  When  the  hour  arrived 
for  the  services  to  begin,  there  were  less  than 
200  white  people,  exclusive  of  soldiers,  assem- 
bled in  front  of  the  Government  building.  Next 
to  these  were  about  200  Kaffir  women,  mistresses 
of  the  English  officers,  and  men.  Next  to  these 
men,  about  300  Kaffir  boys  who  had  fought  side 
by  side  with  the  English  against  the  Boers.  Next 
to  these  was  an  open  space  of  ground  about  eighty 
yards  wide.  Next  to  this  open  space  were  about 
800  of  the  Boers  who  had  so  lately  surrendered. 
The  band  played,  then  there  was  a  prayer,  followed 
by  some  talk,  and  the  services  were  over.  Again 
the  band  began  to  play,  and  when  the  first  notes 
reached  the  Boers,  they  discovered  that  it  was 
<lGod  Save  the  King,"  so  all  turned  their  backs 
and  walked  down  Church  Street. 

Both  Boer  and  Englishman  will  admit  that  I  have 
given  a  very  short  but  accurate  description  of  the 
Coionation  services  and  the  people  assembled  to 
witness  them.  But  to  read  the  English  press  on 
the  following  day,  one  could  easily  believe  that  all 
the  Boers  in  the  land  were  present  to  show  their 
great  love  of  their  new  Sovereign  King  Edward  VII. 

In  the  afternoon  it  was  rumored  about  town 
that  in  the  evening  during  the  parade  and  dis- 
playing of  fireworks,  all  Boer  houses  not  lighted 
up  and  displaying  the  English  flag  would  have  the 

349 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

windows  and  doors  smashed.  The  Boers  pre- 
pared themselves,  every  one  being  armed  with  a 
good  stick,  and  when  night  came  every  one  was 
ready  for  business.  All  Boer  houses  were  in  total 
darkness.  No  flags  were  flying,  but  not  one  was  in- 
terfered with.  The  English  had  met  these  Boer 
boys  before  and  they  had  no  desire  to  meet  them 
again.  Had  the  doors  and  windows  of  one 
house  been  smashed,  I  firmly  believe  the  Boers 
would  have  taken  the  town.  The  Boers  had  sur- 
rendered, but  they  were  determined  that  no 
Englishman  would  spit  upon  them  with  impunity. 
Through  the  English  soldier,  and  through  the 
officers'  reports,  and  by  witnessing  many  barbarous 
acts  in  the  field,  I  learned  a  great  deal  about  the 
English  officer,  but  in  Pretoria  I  learned  enough 
more  to  sicken  even  the  most  rabid  Anglo-Ameri- 
can, and  now  I  am  going  to  recall  to  him  a  little 
that  he  has  done  to  make  him  well  known. 


350 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BRUTALITY  OF  BRITISH  OFFICERS SUFFERING  IN 

THE    CONCENTRATION    CAMPS POISON- 
ING   OF   BOER    PRISONERS    AT 
ST.  HELENA. 

In  some  of  the  towns  occupied  by  the  English, 
and  therefore  not  burnt  down,  the  English 
commanders  sent  away  such  women  as  they  felt 
sure  the  English  officer  could  not  make  bend 
to  his  wishes,  it  mattered  not  what  kind  of  a 
threat  was  made.  All  doubtful  women  were 
allowed  to  remain,  and  the  great  majority  of  the 
doubtful  ones  proved  as  loyal  to  themselves  and 
people  as  those  sent  away.  But  in  every  town,  so 
occupied,  naturally  there  were  many  weak  women 
who,  under  threat  of  being  sent  to  some  abomin- 
able camp  where  they  would  surely  die,  would 
consent  to  submit,  if  allowed  to  remain. 

Even  officers  with  the  rank  of  general  were 
in  this  damnable  business,  and  I  can  prove  it  to 
their  full  satisfaction.  In  Rustenburg,  for  in- 
stance, Mr.  English  General,  officers  would 
appear  at  the  back  door  late  at  night,  rap  hard 
and  alarm  the  young  women.  Of  course  no 
men  were  near,  for  all  were  in  the  field.  On 

351 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

being  asked  what  was  wanted,  they  were  told 
to  open  the  door  and  let  them  in.  On  being 
refused,  these  English  ruffians  in  officers'  uni- 
form would  make  all  kinds  of  threats,  such  as 
"we  will  break  in  the  door,"  "withdraw  food," 
"  we  will  load  you  on  a  wagon  and  send  you  far 
away  where  the  suffering  is  terrible,  and  the 
people  are  dying  fast,"  etc.,  etc.  In  a  few 
cases  these  ruffians  carried  their  point,  be  it 
said  to  their  eternal  shame  and  disgrace. 
Hundreds  of  just  such  acts  of  infamy  on  the 
part  of  the  English  officers,  can  be  proved  in 
every  town  occupied  by  the  English  troops.  In 
many  instances  even  the  English  soldiers  follow- 
ing the  example,  would  try  the  same  tactics, 
but  they  were  easily  frightened  away.  On 
meeting  a  young  Boer  woman,  the  first  idea 
that  enters  the  English  officer's  head,  is  to  se- 
duce her  by  flattery  and  promises,  but,  failing 
in  this  way,  he  resorts  to  threats  to  frighten  her 
into  submission. 

In  Pretoria,  Johannesburg,  Bloemfontein  or 
any  of  the  Boer  towns,  any  woman  seen  walk- 
ing or  riding  with  an  English  officer,  was 
marked  at  once  as  a  mistress  or  common  prosti- 
tute. The  married  officer  who  had  his  wife 
with  him,  would  suffer  from  this,  unless  the 
people  knew  that  the  woman  was  really  his  law- 
ful wife.  In  Pretoria,  on  Skinner  Street,  sev- 

352 


Brutality  of  British  Officers 

eral  of  us  were  amused  late  one  Sunday  afternoon, 
on  seeing  an  English  officer  with  the  rank  of 
captain  walking  with  two  Hottentot  Kaffir 
girls,  one  on  each  side,  and  both  dressed  in 
white  linen  and  wearing  pink  stockings  and 
high  heeled  slippers.  These  Kaffir  girls  were 
about  sixteen  years  old,  and  he  looked  su- 
premely happy  as  he  braced  his  shoulders  and 
passed  us  by. 

Just  on  the  border  of  the  Pretoria  township 
was  a  veiy  neat  Kaffir  hut,  and  one  day  when 
we  were  near  it,  two  of  the  artillery  boys  ven- 
tured that  far,  but  before  reaching  the  hut,  they 
saw  a  man  in  khaki  uniform  mount  a  horse  and 
fly.  The  boys  went  to  the  hut,  found  two 
Kaffir  girls,  and  the  rendezvous  of  an  English 
officer.  They  took  all  his  clothing,  his  top 
boots,  some  fine  blankets,  a  revolver  and  some 
trifles,  and  returned  to  camp.  The  uniform  dis- 
closed that  the  keeper  of  the  hut  and  women 
was  a  1st  lieutenant.  The  Kaffir  girls  told  the 
boys  that  their  master  would  get  the  soldiers 
and  come  after  them,  if  they  did  not  leave  his 
clothes,  etc.  Sure  enough,  next  day  there  came 
a  column,  and  after  a  short  skirmish  it  wheeled 
about  and  returned  to  Pretoria. 

When  the  columns  were  raiding  and  burning 
farms  in  the  bush  veldt,  in  many  instances  they 
would  drag  the  Boer  girls,  from  sixteen  to 

353 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

twenty-three  years  old,  out  of  the  houses,  put 
them  on  wagons  and  cart  them  away,  leaving  the 
mother  and  little  children  to  watch  their  home 
burn  down  and  grieve  over  the  fate  of  the 
girls.  I  can  prove  this  to  the  very  hilt,  and 
without  any  trouble,  too.  The  intention  of  the 
officers  was  to  seduce  these  girls  if  they  could, 
and  if  they  couldn't,  why  then  to  use  them 
anyhow,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  many  of 
those  innocent  girls  were  forcibly  violated. 
Where  there  were  no  young  women,  the  little 
boys  from  seven  to  ten  years  old  would  be 
dragged  from  their  homes  and  put  in  the 
camps.  Many  little  boys  of  this  age  have 
walked  and  run  miles  to  get  with  a  com- 
mando, to  escape  being  dragged  away  from 
their  mothers,  and  many  of  them,  too,  have 
been  shot  down  while  trying  to  fly  from  Eng- 
lish barbarity. 

Along  the  railway  lines,  wherever  you  find 
an  English  camp,  there,  too,  will  you  find  a 
Kaffir  camp.  These  Kaffirs  were  forcibly  taken 
from  their  kraals  on  the  Boer  farms  and  put 
near  the  English  camp.  The  reason  given  was 
that  they  wanted  the  men  to  work  in  the  mines, 
and  prevent  them  from  giving  information  to 
the  Boers.  This  was  merely  rot,  for  the  Boers 
needed  no  information,  as  the  English  were 
always  in  plain  sight.  The  truth  is  that  they 

354 


Brutality  of  British  Officers 

wanted  the  Kaffir  women  for  the  use  of  the 
English  soldiers  and  officers,  and  to-day  you  can 
see  half-caste  kids  by  the  score  about  those  Kaffir 
camps.  The  Kaffirs  are  a  very  chaste  people,  im- 
morality with  them  being  punished  by  death,  and 
now  the  Kaffir  men  who  were  forcibly  taken  from 
their  kraals,  and  have  seen  their  women  debauched, 
hate  the  English  with  a  bitterness  that  no  pen  can 
adequately  describe.  Yes,  the  English  officer  in 
the  eyes  of  civilization  is  a  typical  gentleman,  but 
as  known  and  believed  by  the  savage  Kaffir,  he  is 
a  brute.  English  officers,  sick  in  hospital,  and 
those  not  in  hospital,  plied  their  art.  with  the  Eng- 
lish Red  Cross  nurses,  and  over  eighty  of  these 
had  to  be  sent  back  to  England. 

So  notorious  were  the  relations  between  these 
nurses  and  the  English  officers,  that  the  former 
were  known  among  the  enlisted  men  and  the 
people  generally,  by  a  name  borrowed  from  the 
Veterinary  Department,  and  too  utterly  vile  to 
be  printed. 

In  reading  a  little  book  some  tune  ago,  I  came 
upon  a  passage  that  reminded  me  so  forcibly  both 
of  the  English  and  the  ships'  officers,  that  I  here 
quote  it.  "  Oh !  if  hell  has  a  pit  hotter  and  more 
intolerable  than  all  the  rest,  a  just  God  must  surely 
reserve  it  for  the  lurking  foe,  the  English  officer, 
the  seducer  dammed."  Of  course  the  words,  "  the 

355 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

English  officer,"  are  my  insertion,  and  the  space 
they  occupy  is  most  appropriate  for  them. 

So  much  has  been  said  and  written  about  the 
English  concentration  camps,  that  I  will  not  dwell 
upon  this  subject  to  a  great  extent,  yet  I  must 
say  something,  because  I  fear  that  all  are  not  ac- 
quainted with  these  diabolical  institutions. 

In  the  first  place,  I  must  tell  what  a  concentra- 
tion camp  is.  It  is  a  lot  of  tents,  100  or  200,  or 
possibly  600,  all  pitched  close  together  on  a  piece 
of  exposed  veldt  on  the  railway  line,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  network  of  barbed  wire.  On  each 
of  the  four  sides  of  the  camp  is  a  gate,  and  at  each 
gate  there  are  two  armed  men  to  see  that  no  one 
escapes.  In  every  tent  there  is  a  family.  That 
is,  a  mother  and  her  children.  It  matters  not  what 
the  number  of  the  family  may  be,  that  family  must 
live,  or  rather  try  to  exist,  in  that  one  tent.  All 
are  closely  confined  within  that  network  of  barbed 
wire,  and  there  they  must  remain,  arid  subsist  on 
such  food  as  the  English  officers  wish  to  serve 
them.  To  each  family  is  given  about  one-fourth 
as  much  fuel  as  is  necessary,  so  at  least  four  must 
club  together  and  cook  together,  if  they  do  not 
wish  to  eat  their  food  in  the  raw  state.  Every 
family  is  limited  in  the  amount  of  water  to  be 
used,  and  must  take  what  is  given. 

Now  the   reader   has   a   typical   concentration 

356 


ONE  OF   MILNER'S  VICTIMS 

A  Boer  child  in  the  first  stage  of  death  from  starvation  or 

poison  in  an  English  prison-camp.     Taken   by  a  young 

Boer  spy  in  the  English  prison-camp 

at  Irene,  near  Pretoria. 


Brutality  of  British  Officers 

camp,  in  which  the  women  and  children  are 
packed  like  sardines,  the  very  women  and  children 
that  the  English  once  told  the  world  were  ref- 
ugees, but  now  acknowledge  as  their  prisoners. 
Once  one  of  these  camps  was  established  and 
filled  with  women  and  children,  but  a  few  days 
passed  before  they  began  to  die,  and  such  was  the 
death  rate,  that  special  details  of  men  were  em- 
ployed daily  to  dig  graves  for  the  burial  of  the 
dead.  When  one  considers,  that  within  a  period 
of  six  months,  more  than  12,000  of  these  women 
and  children  died,  he  must  begin  to  think  that 
something  is  wrong.  In  the  camp  at  Irene,  near 
Pretoria,  I  know  of  one  mother  and  six  children^ 
all  healthy  and  strong,  who  were  all  dead  within 
seven  days  after  being  confined  there.  The  chil- 
dren were  not  sick,  but  would  refuse  food,  their 
feet  would  swell,  their  stomachs  bloat,  and  in  a 
few  days  they  would  pass  away.  This  looks  very 
much  like  poison  of  some  kind;  and  the  Boer 
women  who  were  not  in  the  camp,  assured  me  that 
poison  was  discovered  in  their  food.  I  believe 
this,  because  I  have  heard  the  English  say  that 
they  could  never  hope  to  hold  the  country  as  long 
as  there  were  Boer  women  and  children.  The 
Boer  women  in  Pretoria,  begged  for  permission  to 
take  food  which  they  had  cooked  themselves,  to 
the  sick  women  and  children  in  the  camp,  and  in 

357 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

every  instance  they  were  refused,  and  told  that 
the  authorities  would  furnish  the  food. 

As  surely  as  I  live  this  moment,  I  firmly  believe 
that  the  English  made  use  of  poison  in  the  food 
to  destroy  those  women  and  children,  and  many 
Englishmen  are  as  convinced  as  I  am,  only  they 
have  not  the  nerve  to  say  so. 

I  know  the  Apache  Indians,  and  particularly 
one  of  their  great  war  chiefs,  the  notorious  old 
Geronimo.  He  was  an  Apache  General,  without 
education,  without  training,  utterly  unacquainted 
with  all  ideas  of  civilization,  but  shrewd  and  cun- 
ning, and,  when  on  the  war-path,  would  murder 
every  man,  woman  and  child  he  could  lay  hands 
on.  I  have  travelled  with  him  hundreds  of  miles, 
and  followed  the  path  along  which  lay  his  many 
victims,  and  therefore  am  acquainted  with  his 
method  of  doing  away  with  his  enemy  in  time  of 
war.  I  know  of  Lord  Roberts  and  Lord  Kitchener, 
and  their  orders  and  proclamations.  I  know  that 
both  are  highly  educated,  trained  soldiers  who  are 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  teachings  of 
civilization  and  humanity,  both  in  peace  and  in 
war.  I  have  fought  against  them  in  South  Africa, 
and  I  therefore  am  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
their  method  of  fighting  their  enemy,  and  of  doing 
away  with  men,  women  and  children. 

Those  who  were  unfortunate  enough  to  fall  into 

358 


ONE  OF  KITCHENER'S  VICTIMS 

A  Boer  child  dying  either  of  starvation  or  of  poison  in  one 

of   the  English  prison-camps.     Taken  by  a  young   Boer 

spy  in  the  English  prison-camp  at 

Irene  near  Pretoria. 


Brutality  of  British  Officers 

Geronimo's  hands,  were  killed  outright,  and  with- 
out any  ceremony  or  excuse,  and  his  victims  are 
numbered  by  the  hundreds.  Those  unfortunate 
Boer  women  and  children,  who  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Lord  Roberts  and  Lord  Kitchener,  were  doomed 
to  slow  death  by  torture,  and  the  victims  are  num- 
bered by  the  thousands. 

The  old  savage  chief  showed  far  more  humanity 
in  his  way  of  waging  war  than  was  shown  by  the 
two  civilized  lords.  The  one  was  open  in  his 
every  act,  while  the  others  strove  to  keep  all  in 
the  dark,  by  false  reports  and  deliberate  misrepre- 
sentations. 

Had  the  war  lasted  another  twelve  months,  I 
firmly  believe  that  every  Boer  woman  and  child 
confined  in  the  English  prison  camps  of  the 
Transvaal  and  Free  State,  would  have  died  a 
slow  death,  and  the  Boers  so  believed  when  they 
consented  to  surrender.  Three  or  four  hundred 
Jews  are  deliberately  murdered  in  Russia,  and 
the  civilized  world  is  struck  with  horror.  The 
Government  of  the  United  States  sends  in  a 
petition  of  protests  and  is  snubbed. 

Thousands  of  women  and  children  are  murdered 
in  South  Africa,  and  the  civilized  world  is  undis- 
turbed. The  Government  of  the  United  States 
refuses  to  send  in  a  huge  petition  of  protests,  and 
receives  English  thanks.  I  don't  know  who  is 
Secretary  of  State  for  the  United  States,  but  I  am 

359 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

sure  it  is  either  John  Hay  or  Joe  Chamberlain,  or 
possibly  both. 

I  will  now  drop  the  subject  of  the  suffering 
Boer  women  and  children,  and  take  the  reader  to 
other  parts,  that  he  may  see  how  the  prisoners  of 
war  were  treated  on  some  of  the  English  Islands. 

/  can  prove  that  ground  glass  was  used  on  the 
Island  of  St.  Helena  to  kill  the  prisoners — and  1 
would  like  the  opportunity  of  doing  it.  The  Eng- 
lish will  fight  shy,  for  they  know  that  I  know 
what  I  am  talking  about.  Here  were  confined 
officers  as  well  as  men,  and  when  they  saw  that 
some  of  their  people  were  beginning  to  run  down, 
and  continued  to  run  down  until  they  were  put  in 
the  grave,  they  began  to  think,  and  recall  the  fact 
that  the  English  were  supplying  the  food.  Vege- 
tables they  suspected,  but  they  did  not  come  often 
and  plentifully.  Finally  they  decided  when  they 
did  come  they  would  not  eat  them,  but  put  them 
to  the  test,  and  find  out  if  there  were  any  contam- 
ination. Nearly  every  one  found  ground  and 
broken  glass  in  the  vegetables,  but  not  at  every 
inspection.  Sometimes  several  vegetable  days 
would  pass  by  without  any  glass  being  found,  but 
then  a  day  would  come  when  all  or  nearly  all 
were  rewarded. 

This  is  a  terrible  charge  to  make,  and  I  would 
not  dare  make  it,  did  I  not  know  that  it  can  be  proven 
to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  any  judge  and 

360 


ONE  OF  CHAMBERLAIN'S    VICTIMS 

A  Boer  child  that  has  just  died  from  starvation   or    poison 

in  an  English  prison-camp.     Taken  by  ajoung  Boer  spy 

in  the  English  prison-camp  at  Irene,  near  Pretoria 


Brutality  of  British  Officers 

jury.  Many  of  the  prisoners  kept  what  they  found 
as  a  souvenir,  and  every  time  they  think  of  it  they 
congratulate  themselves  for  having  sense  enough  to 
mistrust  the  English  and  the  food  they  furnished. 

To  return  to  the  concentration  camps,  the 
tents  were  sometimes  16  x  16  square,  and  in  that 
tent  there  might  be  a  family  of  four,  or  six,  or  a 
dozen.  If  there  was  a  Kaffir  girl  servant,  she  must 
sleep  in  the  tent,  too,  but  was  not  allowed  to  draw 
rations.  No  visitors  were  allowed,  because  they 
might  tell  tales  out  of  school.  After  peace  was 
made,  the  mother  of  any  family  wishing  to  be  re- 
leased to  return  home,  had  to  sign  a  declaration  to 
the  effect  that  she  had  at  least  $500  in  cash, 
that  she  would  not  apply  to  the  Government  for 
help  in  any  form,  and  that  she  would  relinquish  all 
claims  for  damages  to  her  home  and  property.  In 
addition  to  this  she  had  to  "bake  an  oath  that  she  did 
not  know  of  any  arms  or  ammunition  being  concealed 
about  her  place,  or  in  any  other  place.  Those  who 
could  not  or  would  not  sign  the  above  declaration, 
and  take  the  oath,  were  held  as  prisoners  of  war  in 
the  camp. 

After  all  the  farms  had  been  burnt,  all  property 
destroyed  and  there  was  no  food  to  be  had,  and 
after  more  than  15,000  women  and  children  had 
been  buried,  Lord  Kitchener  made  a  very  generous 
and  English-like  offer  to  General  Louis  Botha.  He 
said  that  he  would  return  all  the  Boer  women  and 

361 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

children  to  their  farms  and  give  them  three  months* 
rations  if  Botha  wished  to  have  them.  General 
Botha  replied  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  receive 
them,  but  six  months'  ration  must  be  furnished  so 
that  they  would  have  time  to  grow  a  crop,  as  he 
had  no  food  for  them.  Lord  Kitchener  declined  to 
accept  General  Botha's  amendment,  for  it  plainly 
meant  that  the  women  and  children  would  not  starve 
to  death  and  that  the  Boers  would  not  have  to  sur- 
render to  save  them. 


362 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A    PERFECT    SPY   SYSTEM CAPTAIN  NAUDE   AND 

HIS  FEMALE  SPIES  OF  GREAT  SERVICE — 
THE  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  AMERI- 
CAN CONSULS. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  the  war,  the  Boers 
had  a  perfect  system  of  communication  with 
Pretoria  and  Johannesburg.  Captain  J.  J.  Naude, 
a  young  Boer  about  twenty-three  years  old,  was 
chief  spy,  and  it  was  he  who  organized  the  force 
that  did  the  work.  In  Pretoria  he  had  seven 
Boer  ladies,  all  smart  and  daring,  and  all  promin- 
ent in  Pretoria  society.  Their  duty  was  to 
collect  all  information,  official  and  otherwise, 
about  what  the  English  were  doing  in  Pretoria, 
and  what  their  intentions  might  be,  have  it  type- 
written and  ready  for  delivery  every  Wednesday 
evening.  Every  Monday,  dressed  in  an  English 
officer's  uniform,  Captain  Naude  would  work  his 
way  through  wire  fences,  forts,  blockhouses  and 
three  lines  of  guards,  into  the  town  and  stop  at 

the  home  of  a  Mrs.  Van  W .     Sometimes  he 

would  stop  with  one  of  his  other  spies,  at  the  home 

of  a  Mrs.  M .     Another  one    of  his  spies,  a 

Mrs.  H ,  often  drove  with  him  in  a  carriage 

363 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

through  the  streets  during  the  day,  and  visited 
certain  important  places.  The  English  soldiers 
invariably  saluted  Captain  Naude  as  he  passed  by 
them.  In  the  evening,  at  the  house  where  he  was 

staying,  Miss  M ,   known   as  "Little  Megs," 

Mrs.  A ,   possibly  Mrs.  J ,  Mrs.  M , 

and  Mrs.  H ,  would  assemble  to  talk  over  the 

situation,  put  everything  in  proper  form  for  Captain 
Naude,  and  then  quietly  return  to  their  homes. 
These  ladies  would  in  person  deliver  all  letters 
brought  in  by  Captain  Naude  from  the  burghers  in 
the  field,  and  he  would  take  back  the  answers.  He 
conducted  his  affairs  in  Johannesburg  in  the  same 
way,  but  here  his  assistants  brought  out  a  type- 
written paper  every  week,  telling  the  people  what 
had  happened  hi  the  field,  which  the  English  tried  to 
keep  concealed.  These  typewritten  papers  would 
be  posted  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  before  the 
English  authorities  could  find  and  tear  them  down, 
hundreds  of  people  had  read  them. 

Little  Megs,  who  since  the  surrender  has  changed 
her  name  to  Mrs.  Jan — ,  took  desperate  chances  on 
many  occasions,  and  actually  supplied  the  Boers 
near  Pretoria  with  ammunition,  clothing,  boots,  etc. 
Her  father's  farm  was  a  few  miles  out  of  town,  and 
she  would  get  a  permit  to  go  there  and  back  and 
bring  in  vegetables.  She  always  drove  out  with 
four  horses  to  her  cart,  and  came  back  with  two, 
leaving  the  others  with  the  commando.  Some- 

364 


A  Perfect  Spy  System 

times,  English  officers  would  accompany  her,  and 
often  she  felt  much  alarmed,  but  her  coolness  and 
nerve  always  brought  her  out  all  right.  Several 
times  she  was  under  heavy  fire,  being  caught  be- 
tween the  Boer  and  English  lines.  Many  shot  and 
shell  passed  over  her  head  and  many  came  near 
catching  her,  but  never  did  she  waver.  When 
all  was  over,  she  would  pursue  her  way  and 
deliver  her  contraband  goods.  She  was  hi  constant 
communication  with  a  young  lady,  a  cousin  of  hers, 
in  far  away  Cape  Colony.  This  cousin  was  a 
Miss  Maggie  Joubert,  about  twenty-three  years  old, 
and  one  of  the  pluckiest  and  most  daring  young 
ladies  in  the  world.  Her  people  are  wealthy, 
but  are  Africanders  to  the  backbone,  and  took  the 
desperate  chance  of  losing  their  property  in  order 
to  help  the  cause  of  freedom.  Most  of  our  infor- 
mation as  to  what  was  going  on  in  Cape  Colony 
came  from  letters  written  by  Miss  Maggie  Joubert 
to  her  little  cousin  Megs  in  Pretoria.  Little  Megs 
would  give  this  information  to  Captain  Naude,  and 
he,  in  turn,  would  bring  it  out  to  the  commandos, 
so  our  lines  of  communication  were  complete 
and  our  information  genuine.  Miss  Joubert  would 
write  on  one  side  of  the  paper  an  ordinary  family 
letter,  and  leave  the  opposite  side  blank.  On  the 
blank  side  she  would  write  with  lemon  juice  for 
her  ink,  and  tell  all  about  the  English,  where  they 
were,  what  they  were  doing,  the  location  of  forts, 

365 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

etc.  She  would  also  tell  all  about  the  Boer  forces, 
where  they  were  and  what  they  were  doing.  She 
also  sent  these  letters  to  prisoners  in  the  far  away 
Islands,  and  kept  them  well  informed.  She  knew 
at  least  one  in  every  place  who  knew  her  method. 

For  two  years  she  kept  this  up,  but  about 
six  months  before  peace  was  made,  the  English 
began  to  suspect  her,  because  she  wrote  so  many 
letters.  To  one  of  her  letters  to  little  Meg  in  Pre- 
toria they  applied  the  hot  iron,  and  out  came  the 
lemon  juice  as  black  as  ink.  This  exposed 
her,  for  the  English  now  read  all  about  the  move- 
ments of  their  troops  in  the  Colony,  their  location, 
etc.  Two  police  were  sent  to  arrest  her  at  once. 
She  was  carried  away  to  Wellington,  and  locked 
up  in  a  cell.  After  remaining  there  for  a  week, 
she  was  taken  to  the  Paarl  and  imprisoned.  Neither 
her  people  or  any  one  else  was  allowed  to  see 
her. 

After  a  few  weeks  she  was  tried  by  a  military 
court.  This  court  tried  to  find  out  from  her 
whether  she  had  given  any  information  to  the  enemy 
outside  their  lines.  She  always  answered:  "Yon 
have  my  letters,  and  must  find  out  for  yourselves." 
Little  Megs  was  inside  the  English  lines,and  she  was 
never  in  any  way  suspected  of  being  a  spy.  The 
court  found  Miss  Joubert  guilty  of  treason,  and 
sentenced  her  to  five  years'  hard  labor.  She  told 
the  court  that  she  could  stand  just  as  much  as  they 

366 


MISS  MAGGIE  JOUBERT 

The  beautiful  Boer  Spy  who  was  imprisoned  in  an  English 
cell  for  six  months. 


A  Perfect  Spy  System 

could  give  her.     She  was  returned  to  her  cell  and 
very  closely  confined. 

Lord  Kitchener  commuted  the  sentence  to  six 
months'  imprisonment  without  hard  labor.  The 
matron  of  the  prison  secured  her  some  silks  and 
she  spent  her  time  making  fancy  articles.  In  the 
evening  she  would  sing  the  Volksleid  (National 
Anthem)  and  then  say  the  Boer  prisoner's  prayer, 
one  verse  of  which  is  as  follows: 

"When  shall  I  be,  shall  I  be  returning 
To  my  dear  old  plaats,  to  my  good  old  home 
Where  the  duiker,  spring-bok,  and  Koedoe  roam 

And  the  hot  fire  of  freedom  is  burning?" 

Miss  Joubert's  daily  rations  consisted  of  one  bot- 
tle of  milk,  one  pound  of  bread,  and  one  pound  of 
meat.  This  food  without  change  for  six  months, 
proved  too  much  for  her.  She  fell  very  ill,  and 
how  she  lived  to  the  end  of  the  time,  she  cannot 
explain.  She  was  considered  a  dangerous  character, 
and  a  close  damp  cell  must  be  her  home,  and  in 
that  home  she  was  doomed  to  live  or  die  on  food 
that  would  probably  kill  a  Kaffir. 

Major  Benson  of  the  Intelligence  Department,  by 
way  of  consolation,  told  her  that  after  enjoying  the 
blessings  of  English  liberty  for  two  years,  she  had 
acted  like  a  cur,  and  therefore  deserved  to  suffer. 
She  replied  that  she  was  proud  of  all  her  acts,  and 
she  was  ready  to  suffer  for  them. 

Several  other  ladies  are  lying  in  prison  cells  to- 

367 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

day  charged  with  giving  the  Boers  information,  and 
probably  will  remain  there  until  death  comes  to 
their  rescue  and  frees  them.  Miss  Joubert  and 
her  comrades  who  have  been  locked  within  prison 
cells  all  know  what  it  is  to  be  grossly  insulted  by 
the  English  officer,  and  all  have  suffered.  Little 
Megs  and  her  associates  in  Pretoria,  and  Miss  Jou- 
bert and  her  companions  in  Cape  Colony  are  all 
noble  and  grand  women.  The  flame  of  patriotism 
glowed  in  their  hearts.  All  were  ready  to  be  sac- 
rificed to  save  the  Africander  people  from  being 
shackled  with  the  chains  of  the  slave.  All  spurned 
danger  and  faced  death  itself.  They  are  patriots, 
and  their  names  will  endure. 

Captain  Naude,  the  commander  of  the  lady  spies 
in  Pretoria,  was  well  known  in  the  town,  and  his 
young  wife  and  his  people  resided  there.  The  Eng- 
lish knew  him,  too,  and  they  were  aware  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  coming  in  and  going  out.  They  had  a 
standing  reward  of  $10,000  for  him,  dead  or  alive. 
Every  few  days  every  house  in  Pretoria  would  be 
carefully  searched,  and  the  three  lines  of  guards 
put  on  the  lookout  for  him. 

Nothing  was  left  undone  to  catch  or  kill  him,  yet 
he  went  in  every  Monday  evening  and  came  out 
every  Wednesday  evening.  He  is  the  coolest,  most 
determined  and  daring  young  man  I  ever  saw,  and 
I  believe  he  is  the  most  wonderful  spy  known,  when 
all  the  circumstances  are  considered.  He  wore  a 

368 


A  Perfect  Spy  System 

slight  mustache,  an  English  officer's  uniform,  could 
talk  but  little  English  and  would  drive  in  an  open 
carriage  through  the  principal  streets  of  the  town 
in  open  daylight;  yet  he  was  never  caught,  though 
hundreds  of  detectives  were  watching  for  him. 
Many  letters  has  he  taken  in  for  me,  and  he  never 
failed  to  bring  me  back  the  answer.  In  my  eyes  he 
is  a  marvel,  and  the  Africander  people  are  heavily 
indebted  to  him  for  the  services  he  rendered  to  them 
and  their  country.  Long  may  he  live. 

I  must  say  a  few  words  about  the  American 
Consuls  in  South  Africa.  I  was  in  that  country 
eight  years,  and  during  this  time  I  naturally  be- 
came acquainted  with  some  of  them.  In  the  first 
place,  I  must  say  that  their  pay  is  so  small  that  it 
is  almost  impossible  for  them  to  make  both  ends 
meet,  it  matters  not  how  economically  they  live. 
Good  men  and  smart  men  will  naturally  refuse  such 
an  appointment,  unless  they  have  spare  money  of 
their  own  to  spend.  The  first  consul  who  was 
sent  to  Pretoria  was  C.  E.  Macrum,  and  he  was  a 
good  and  smart  man,  and  an  excellent  one  for  the 
place,  as  well  as  a  genuine  American.  He  was  per- 
fectly conversant  with  all  the  causes  that  led  up  to 
the  war,  and  he  knew  that  the  English  forced  the 
Boers  into  it  for  no  other  reason  than  to  take  the 
Johannesburg  gold  fields;  therefore,  a  few  months 
after  the  war  began,  he  was  recalled.  Young 
Adelbert  Hay,  son  of  John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State, 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

was  appointed  in  his  place.  When  he  arrived  in 
Pretoria  it  was  plain  that  he  was  an  Englishman, 
both  in  heart  and  soul.  I  have  an  idea  that  he  was 
so  educated  before  he  left  Washington  City,  judging 
huii  by  his  conversation.  He  had  not  been  there 
more  than  two  months  before  he  changed,  and 
became  pro-Boer  both  in  heart  and  soul,  and  so  re- 
mained till  death.  He  was  thrown  in  close  contact 
with  the  English  in  Pretoria,  soon  learned  what  an 
Englishman  really  was,  why  he  was  fighting  the 
Boer,  his  methods  of  fighting,  etc.,  and  he  became 
thoroughly  convinced  that  all  he  had  been  taught 
to  believe  about  the  English,  and  the  war,  was 
utterly  false.  He  learned  of  their  barbarity  in  war, 
their  treachery  and  unscrupulousness,  and  he  saw 
their  treatment  of  the  Boer  women  and  children  in 
the  prison  camps,  which  he  declared  to  be  sicken- 
ing. I  don't  know  but  if  the  whole  truth  were 
known,  I  think  it  would  be  found  that  the  powers 
that  be  in  America  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
young  Mr.  Hay  was  not  the  proper  man  for  his  po- 
sition in  Pretoria,  and  he  therefore  resigned.  When 
the  news  of  his  sudden  death  reached  South  Africa, 
the  Africander  people  felt  deeply  grieved,  and  at 
several  of  their  evening  services  his  name  was 
affectionately  mentioned  in  their  prayers. 

W.  D.  Gordon,  the  Consular  Agent  in  Johannes- 
burg, is  unquestionably  the  ablest  and  strongest 
representative  that  the  United  States  has  ever 

370 


A  Perfect  Spy  System 

had  in  South  Africa.  He  is  a  genuine  American, 
a  successful  business  man,  and  as  Consular  Agent 
he  carefully  guards  American  interests  and 
American  citizens,  while  by  his  honesty,  uprightness 
and  openness,  he  commands  the  respect  of  the  whole 
people.  The  English  respect  him  because  they  are 
afraid  of  him,  and  know  that  they  can  neither 
deceive  him  nor  win  him  by  flattery.  He  receives 
no  salary  as  Consular  Agent,  yet  the  position  costs 
him  much  time  and  trouble.  No  act  of  his  will  ever 
bring  discredit  to  the  American  people  or  his 
Country. 

It  was  but  a  few  weeks  before  war  was  declared 
that  I  met  Consul  General  Stowe  of  Cape  Town, 
and  although  I  was  convinced  that  he  was  Ameri- 
can, yet  I  could  not  make  out  whether  he  was  an 
Anglo-American  or  a  genuine  Englishman.  In  a 
conversation  with  him  in  Johannesburg,  he  told 
me  that  on  hostilities  breaking  out,  he  intended  to 
come  to  Johannesburg  and  hoist  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  over  Heath's  Hotel  as  his  headquarters. 
Now,  Heath's  Hotel  was  the  chief  rendezvous  of 
the  most  rabid  Englishmen,  and  it  was  very  nmch 
feared  that  when  war  once  began,  the  Boers  would 
destroy  the  building.  Consul  Stowe  was  deter- 
mined to  prevent  this,  if  possible,  by  placing  his 
august  person  in  the  door,  and  waving  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  above  his  head.  Of  course,  the  Boers 

371 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

never  had  any  idea  of  destroying  this  hotel,  or  any 
other  property,  but  the  English  press  tried  to 
make  the  world  believe  otherwise.  By  way  of 
retort,  I  told  Consul  Stowe  that  if  he  hoisted  the 
American  flag  over  that  hot  bed  of  rebellion,  we 
would  set  fire  to  the  other  and  adjoining  buildings, 
and  that  if  he  were  unfortunate  enough  to  be 
caught  in  the  general  conflagration,  he  would 
have  no  one  to  -blame  but  himself.  He  changed 
his  mind  then,  and  said  that,  after  all,  he  thought 
he  could  be  of  more  service  in  Cape  Town 
than  in  Johannesburg.  During  the  war,  Consul 
Stowe  was  very  prominent  in  English  circles,  and 
no  doubt  he  served  them  well.  On  one  occasion, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  an  American  lady  intended  to 
give  a  dinner  to  some  Americans,  and  she  thought 
of  inviting  some  English  also.  As  some  of  the 
latter  were  sure  to  come,  she  thought  it  would  show 
courtesy  if  she  put  up  a  British  flag  as  well  as  the 
American  flag.  She  spoke  to  Consul  Stowe  on 
the  subject,  and  he  told  her  that  most  certainly 
she  must  hoist  the  British  flag.  He  further  told 
her,  that  she  must  float  the  British  flag  on  top  of 
the  pole,  and  the  American  flag  below  it  on  the 
same  pole.  This  will  give  the  American  people  a 
slight  insight  into  the  character  of  the  American 
Consul-General  at  Cape  Town. 

On   another    occasion,    he   concluded  to   visit 

372 


A  Perfect  Spy  System 

Pretoria  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself.  Above 
the  finest  carriage  in  the  long  train,  he  hoisted  the 
American  flag,  and  then  he,  etc.,  etc.,  were  ready  to 
move  out.  All  was  smooth  sailing  until  far  into 
the  Free  State.  Suddenly  the  train  stopped,  firing 
was  heard,  and  the  Boers  were  all  around  the  un- 
fortunates. Soon  the  white  flag  was  hoisted  and 
the  train  captured.  Captain  Daanie  Theron,  the 
famous  Boer  scout,  the  little  man  so  dearly  loved 
by  the  whole  Africander  race,  with  his  hundred 
daring  patriots  had  committed  the  terrible  offence 
of  firing  upon  a  train  floating  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
and  capturing  the  American  Consul-General  of 
Cape  Town,  the  great  Colonel  Stowe.  He  captured 
something  else,  too,  for  there  were  on  that  train 
about  seventy-five  English  soldiers,  and  they  fell 
into  his  hands,  together  with  their  rifles  and  ammu- 
nition. In  Colonel  Stowe's  carriage  there  were 
some  lordly  looking  individuals,  too,  but  as  all 
were  Colonel  Stowe's  private  secretaries,  Captain 
Theron  did  not  disturb  them.  He  allowed  the 
carriage  floating  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  proceed 
on  its  journey  to  Pretoria.  I  never  heard,  but  it 
is  safe  to  say,  that  he  landed  his  secretaries  in  Pre- 
toria, and  that  at  a  swell  banquet  many  stirring 
and  patriotic'  speeches  were  made. 

Of  course,  the  English  press  was  full  of  glowing 
accounts  of  the  way  in  which  the  savage  Boers 

373 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

had  insulted  the  American  flag,  but  not  one  of  them 
thought  to  mention  anything  about  English 
prisoners  and  private  secretaries.  No  doubt 
Colonel  Stowe  was  a  great  credit  to  the  American 
Government,  but  I  would  not  like  to  add  "  and  also 
to  the  American  people,"  because  I  am  not  seeking 
trouble. 


374 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    ENGLISH    ARM  KAFFIRS — THE   HAGUE   CON- 
FERENCE      AND        CIVILIZATION  — 
HANDS-UPPERS      AND 
THEIR  POSITION. 

Now  I  wish  to  say,  and  will  say,  a  few  words 
about  English  war  correspondents.  I  never  met 
but  two  personally,  and  they  were  prisoners  of  war 
in  Pretoria,  having  a  few  days  previously  been 
captured  by  the  Irish  Brigade  at  Elandsfontein 
near  Johannesburg,  at  the  time  of  the  British 
occupation  of  this  city.  The  two  gentlemen  were 
Lord  Cecil  Manners  and  Lord  Roslyn.  They  were 
given  comfortable  quarters  in  the  Grand  Hotel, 
and  both  seemed  contented,  although  they  were 
anxious  to  be  released,  that  they  might  see  what 
the  English  and  Boers  were  doing  just  outside  of 
Pretoria.  They  were  not  prejudiced  and  thick-head- 
ed, as  you  generally  find  Englishmen  of  their  class, 
and  both  impressed  me  as  being  honest,  reasonable 
and  desirous  of  the  whole  truth.  Lord  Roslyn 
showed  one  of  his  reports  to  me,  made  while  Buller 
was  trying  to  relieve  Ladysmith,  and  Lord  Cecil 
Manners  gave  me  his  views,  too.  Both  of  course 
were  Englishmen,  and  very  handsome  and  fine 

375 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

looking  ones,  too.  Naturally  they  viewed  matters 
from  an  English,  stand  point,  still  I  was  surprised 
at  their  fairness,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  either 
would  intentionally  twist  a  fact  in  order  to  conceal 
British  blunders.  Now  this  brings  me  to  one  that 
I  did  not  meet,  but  one  I  wanted  to  meet.  His 
name  is  Bennet  Burleigh,  and  he  was  war  corre- 
spondent of  the  London  Daily  Telegraph. 

In  Johannesburg  there  is  a  house  known  as  the 
American  Hotel,  and  the  proprietor  of  that  house 
was  Dave  Norris,  an  American,  and  one  of  the 
worthiest  of  the  race  in  South  Africa.  He  despised 
the  English,  loved  liberty  and  longed  to  see  the 
Boers  free  and  independent.  All  the  Irish  boys 
knew  him,  and  all  loved  him,  and  he  in  his  turn 
was  as  warmly  devoted  to  them,  so,  naturally,  when 
any  of  them  were  in  Johannesburg,  they  were 
always  to  be  found  with  good' Dave  Norris  in  the 
American  Hotel;  and  wherever  the  Irish  boys  were, 
there  I,  too,  would  be. 

Now  I  will  return  to  Mr.  Bennet  Burleigh.  As 
soon  as  the  English  occupied  Johannesburg,  they 
heard  'that  I  was  still  in  the  city.  All  wanted 
me  and  they  wanted  me  badly,  because  it  meant 
quite  a  neat  sum  of  money  to  the  fortunate  man. 
Bennet  Burleigh  was  not  a  combatant ;  he  was  a 
war  correspondent,  and  was  not  supposed  to  take 
any  active  part. 

Late   one   night,  Dave  Norris  was  aroused  and, 

876 


MISS  MINNIE  KINGSMAN 
a  Boer  belle  of  Johannesburg 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

on  opening  the  door,  in  walked  Bennet  Burleigh 
with  a  revolver  in  his  hand.  In  the  adjoining 
room  there  was  a  man  named  Wilson,  and  to 
Wilson's  ear  he  placed  his  revolver,  and  said,  "I 
have  you  at  last,  Blake,  and  you  are  good  meat." 
"Butch'*  Wilson  replied :  "Fooled  again,  old  man! 
Colonel  Blake  is  not  here."  "Butch"  having 
proven  his  identity,  was  released.  After  a  few 
nights,  Bennet  Burleigh  was  again  in  the  American 
Hotel,  but  this  time  put  his  revolver  in  old  John 
Langtry's  ear,  and  said:  "I  know  I  am  right  this 
time,  come  on  here,  sir,  and  be  quick  about  it." 
Old  John  asked  him  what  he  wanted  him  for. 
"I  know  Blake  by  his  photo,  and  you  are  the  man, 
so  get  out."  Again  Mr.  Bennet  Burleigh,  the 
war  correspondent,  the  non-combatant,  was  sorely 
disappointed.  Had  this  thing,  Bennet  Burleigh, 
been  captured  by  the  Boers,  he  would  have  whined 
and  cried  and  begged  to  be  released,  because  he 
h  td  nothing  to  do  with  fighting  and  only  acted  as 
a  correspondent. 

After  the  general  surrender,  one  of  the  English 
majors  whom  I  knew  quite  well,  told  me  that  Mr. 
Bennet  Burleigh  was  very  anxious  to  meet  me, 
and  would  like  an  appointment.  I  was  highly 
pleased  and  told  the  major  that  I  would  be  glad 
to  meet  Mr.  Burleigh  at  the  Grand,  in  the  evening, 
and  that  if  he  presented  him  to  me  I  would  make 

377 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

him  a  beautiful  present,  or  give  any  one  $25.00 
who  would  bring  the  man  face  to  face  with  me. 
Mr.  Burleigh  never  showed  up,  and  I  inquired 
after  him,  but  he  had  gone  to  Johannesburg.  He 
soon  left  for  England,  so  I  never  had  the  opportu- 
nity I  so  longed  for. 

Bennet  Burleigh  is  a  cowardly  thing,  and  such 
a  thing  cannot  possibly  make  a  truthful  report. 
Take  all  his  writings  during  the  war,  and  I  very 
much  doubt  whether  one  grain  of  truth  could  be 
found  in  any  one  of  his  reports.  We  read  many  of 
his  detailed  descriptions,  and  they  were  so  ridicu- 
lously false  that  we  could  not  help  laughing. 
Mr.  Bennet  Burleigh,  you  are  a  thorough-bred 
Englishman,  typical  of  a  degenerate  race,  and  I  now 
drop  you  as  I  picked  you  up,  a  dirty  thing. 

Now  I  come  to  the  subject  of  armed  Kaffirs.  On 
the  English  side  of  the  western  border  of  the 
Transvaal,  the  English  armed  several  thousand 
Kaffirs,  and  instructed  them  to  make  raids  on  the 
Boer  farms  across  the  border,  and  take  all  cattle, 
sheep,  horses,  etc.,  they  could  find.  The  Kaffirs 
were  delighted  and  lost  no  tune  in  carrying  out 
their  instructions.  They  crossed,  and  on  the  first 
raid  murdered  more  than  fifty  old  men,  women  and 
children,  and  destroyed  their  property.  They  came 
again,  and  nearly  all  the  Boers  were  withdrawn  from 
Mafeking  in  order  to  fight  them,  and  drive  them 

378 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

out.  They  slaughtered  the  Kaffirs  by  the  hundreds 
and  drove  them  back  to  their  English  allies  for 
protection. 

While  the  troops  were  absent,  Baden-Powell  did 
not  leave  his  prairie-dog-holes  and  come  out,  be- 
cause he  was  afraid  the  Boers  might  catch  him  out, 
and  that  would  be  the  end  of  Baden-Powell  and 
his  letter  writing.  A  Boer  commando  had  to  be 
formed  and  kept  near  the  border  to  protect  the 
women  and  children  from  these  savages  armed  by 
the  English.  All  of  the  many  thousands  of  Kaffirs 
in  the  Rustenburg  district  were  so  armed,  and  at 
times  General  de  la  Rey  would  have  to  abandon 
all  operations  against  the  English  and  go  and  fight 
them,  to  drive  them  far  from  the  women  and  chil- 
dren. All  the  thousands  of  Kaffirs  between  Pre- 
toria and  Pietersburg  and  those  to  the  north  of 
Pietersburg  were  also  armed  by  the  English,  and 
General  Beyers  had  to  fight  them  much  more  than 
he  did  the  latter,  in  order  to  save  the  women  and 
children  from  being  outraged  and  murdered. 

Armed  Kaffirs  were  stationed  all  along  the  Pre- 
toria-Pietersburg  railway  line  and  did  all  the  work 
that  Joe  Chamberlain  told  the  British  Parliament 
the  English  soldiers  were  doing. 

Northeast  of  Pretoria,  north  of  Middleburg  and 
all  about  Lydenburg  and  Pilgrims'  Rest,  were 
thousands  of  England's  savage  allies  who  murder- 
ed hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children.  In  the 

379 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

east,  about  Komati  Poort  and  along  the  Swazie-land 
border,  the  same  conditions  prevailed  and  the  out- 
rages committed  are  too  sickening  to  put  in  print. 
Nearly  sixty  men  were  attacked,  murdered  and  cut 
into  pieces  at  one  place. 

All  the  blockhouses  along  the  eastern  border 
were  manned  with  armed  Kaffirs.  About  thirty 
women  and  children  who  had  their  homes  burnt 
on  the  Piet-Retief  border  by  the  English  and 
were  left  to  starve  to  death,  started  out  on  foot 
to  find  some  Boer  commando,  and  get  food  and 
relief.  They  had  to  pass  through  this  line  of 
blockhouses  manned  by  the  armed  Kaffirs.  The 
savages  seized  and  outraged  all  of  them,  and  then 
drove  them  into  the  high  veldt,  where  they  were 
abandoned.  They  were  found  by  the  Boers,  and 
a  more  sickening  sight  or  characteristic  picture  of 
English  brutality  and  savage  outrage  could  not  be 
imagined.  In  the  face  of  all  this,  Lord  Kitchener, 
Lord  Milner  and  Joe  Chamberlain  swore  to  the 
world  that  no  armed  Kaffirs  were  employed  by  the 
English  troops  1 

There  were  between  30,000  and  40,000  Kaffirs 
armed  by  the  English,  and  instructed  to  kill  off 
the  Boers.  The  Kaffirs  had  always  been  friendly 
to  the  Boers  but  the  English  went  to  them,  and  told 
them  that  if  they  did  not  take  up  arms  against  the 
Boers,  they  would  destroy  all  their  food  and  not 
allow  them  to  grow  any  more  as  long  as  the  war 

380 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

lasted.  The  Kaffirs  in  the  mountains  near  Lyden- 
burg  were  not  to  be  so  threatened  because  the 
English  knew  them  and  were  afraid  of  them.  In 
order  to  get  them  to  fight  the  "feoers,  the  English 
promised  to  give  them  all  the  Boer  farms  in  their 
section  at  the  end  of  the  war.  Many  of  my  good 
friends  were  murdered  in  cold  blood  by  these  same 
Kaffirs. 

At  the  town  of  Lydenburg,  the  English  had 
more  than  1000  armed  Kaffirs  side  by  side  with 
them.  At  Middleburg  they  had  about  600.  In  all 
the  blockhouses  and  forts  along  the  railway  lines 
there  were  armed  Kaffirs,  with  the  English  soldiers, 
and  the  Kaffirs  were  generally  in  the  majority. 

After  the  war  came  to  an  end,  the  English  sent 
wagons  and  carts  out  to  bring  in  the  rifles,  but  the 
Kaffirs  refused  to  give  them  up  until  the  English 
had  made  good  their  agreement.  The  Kaffirs  fairly 
drove  out  the  English,  who  then  came  to  the  Boers 
and  asked  them  to  join  with  them  and  help  them 
disarm  the  Kaffirs.  The  Boers  refused  *c  a  man, 
and  told  them  since  they  had  armed  the  blacks, 
they  must  now  disarm  them.  The  Kaffirs  took 
possession  of  the  Boer  farms  which  the  English  had 
promised  to  give  them,  and  would  not  let  the  Boers 
return. 

At  this  time,  I  do  not  know  how  the  affairs  were 
settled,  but  I  think  all  Kaffir  claims  were  paid  for, 
but  the  rifles  were  not  given  up. 

381 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Now  that  the  war  is  over  and  hundreds  of  men, 
women  and  children  have  been  murdered  by  these 
savages,  Lord  Kitchener,  Lord  Milner  and  Joe 
Chamberlain  are  ready  to  admit  that  they  armed 
thousands  of  Kaffirs  and  used  them  against  the 
Boers.  They  now  admit  it  because  they  have  to, 
for  if  there  was  any  possible  way  to  lie  out  of  it,  it 
is  certain  they  would  take  advantage  of  it. 

The  English  officers,  English  soldiers  and  Kaffirs 
all  tell  you  now  that  they  were  armed  by  the 
English,  to  fight  the  Boers,  and  the  savages  do  not 
hesitate  to  tell  why  they  turned  against  the  Boers. 
It  is  hard  for  Joe  Chamberlain,  and  Milner  and 
Kitchener  to  lie  out  of  it.  They  can't  do  it,  and 
they  are  too  smart  to  try  it. 

For  eighteen  months  we  had  the  Kaffirs  on  one 
side  and  the  English  on  the  other,  and  the  narrow 
belt  between  was  not  more  than  twenty-five  to 
thirty-five  miles  wide,  and  here  it  was  that  we  must 
live  and  fight  and  try  to  protect  ourselves.  Some- 
times we  were  fighting  the  English,  and  sometimes 
the  Kaffirs,  and  sometimes  both  at  once.  How  we 
managed  to  hold  our  own  and  escape  what  the 
English  call  sure  death,  I  can  not  explain,  but  I  do 
know  that  nearly  all  escaped. 

I  have  heard  much  about  Geneva  Conventions, 
Hague  Conferences,  and  have  had  to  know  some- 
thing about  International  Law,  and  I  am  forced  to 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  all  these  peace  and 

382 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

humanity  posters  are  only  intended  for  times  of 
peace.  Great  men  meet  at  Geneva;  great  men 
meet  at  the  Hague ;  great  men  meet  to  discuss 
questions  of  International  Law ;  all  are  lovers  of 
peace,  all  love  humanity,  all  are  determined  to 
reduce  the  sufferings  of  mankind  to  a  minimum  in 
times  of  war,  but  lay  at  their  feet  the  lifeless  form  of 
a  child  mutilated  by  an  English  shell,  or  a  savage 
armed  with  an  English  rifle,  and  all  will  throw  up 
their  hands  in  horror,  and  cry  out  '''•what  a  pity! 
But  the  English  are  a  civilized  people,  and  we  must 
support  them." 

When  I  hear  learned  and  humane  men  discuss- 
ing the  sufferings  of  man,  Geneva  Conventions, 
Hague  Conferences  and  International  Law,  I  feel 
like  crying  out  "Rot,  rot,  rot !  and  three  times  Rot, 
rot,  rot  1  "  because  that  is  all  there  is  hi  the  whole 
business.  The  savage  fights  to  kill;  he  asks  no 
quarter,  and  he  gives  none  in  times  of  war ;  he 
has  no  Geneva  Conventions  to  conceal  him 
while  murdering  the  wounded ;  he  has  no  Hague 
Conferences,  no  International  Law ;  but  he  is  not 
a  hypocrite,  because  he  proclaims  just  what  he  is, 
and  will  not  appeal  to  long-faced  humanity  to  make 
screens  to  hide  his  acts. 

I  know  the  savages,  because  I  have  lived  with 
them.  I  know  the  civilized,  because  I  have  lived 
with  him !  and  when  it  comes  to  decide  on  ques- 
tions of  honor,  humanity  and  justice,  give  me  the 

383 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

savage  every  time.  The  great  savage  nation  a  are 
better  governed,  are  infinitely  more  moral,  more 
humane  and  just,  than  any  of  the  so-called  civilized 
nations. 

The  Great  Indian  tribes,  before  they  were  cor- 
rupted and  polluted  by  the  presence  of  white 
men,  were  proud,  high-spirited,  well  governed, 
happy  and  contented,  but  now  they  are  low,  de- 
generate, immoral  and  miserable.  The  great  Kaffir 
nations  of  South  Africa,  the  Zulus,  the  Basutos, 
and  the  Swazies,  probably  the  finest  races  of 
people  in  the  world,  are  far  more  free  and  inde- 
pendent, better  governed,  more  moral  and  content- 
ed than  the  people  of  the  so-called  civilized  nations 
on  the  globe.  Both  men  and  women  are  pic- 
tures of  physical  perfection  ;  they  are  proud,  but 
not  boastful;  they  are  honorable  and  truthful  to 
each  other ;  immorality  with  them  is  punished  by 
death ;  and  they  live  at  peace  with  each  other,  and 
with  the  world,  so  long  as  greedy,  unmoral  white 
man  does  not  interfere. 

Now  I  will  pass  on  to  what  is  in  the  world  known 
as  "  hands-uppers,"  that  is,  those  burghers  who  for 
various  reasons  voluntarily  went  into  the  English 
lines  and  surrendered  their  rifles.  On  the  occupa- 
tion of  Bloemfonteim,  Johannesburg  and  Pretoria, 
thousands  of  this  name  really  thought  the  war  was 
over,  and  acted  accordingly.  All  Boer  officers 
totally  condemn  them,  and  declare  there  was  no 

384 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

excuse  for  them.  Here  I  differ  with  the  Boer  offi- 
cers, and  say  that  they  themselves  were  entirely 
responsible  for  nearly  every  one  who  voluntarily 
surrendered  his  rifle.  Thousands  upon  thousands 
surrendered  on  the  occupation  of  Johannesburg 
and  Pretoria,  believing  that  the  war  was  at  an 
end.  Under  Lord  Robert's  proclamation,  setting 
forth  that  the  war  was  practically  over,  and  assuring 
all  burghers  who  came  in  and  surrendered  their 
rifles,  that  neither  they  nor  their  property  would  be 
in  any  way  molested,  thousands  of  others  surrender- 
ed. Not  a  Boer  officer  in  the  field  opened  his 
mouth  and  told  the  burghers  anything.  When 
they  did  assemble  the  burghers,  and  talked  to  them, 
their  theme  was  Christ  and  His  teachings,  and  that 
all  must  follow  the  narrow  path,  because  the  broad 
one  led  to  hell.  Not  in  a  single  instance  did  any 
Boer  officer  tell  the  burghers  what  their  duty  to 
their  country  was ;  not  a  word  about  patriotism 
was  ever  mentioned,  not  a  hint  given  that  the  war 
would  proceed  more  vigorously  than  ever  after  the 
fall  and  occupation  of  Pretoria.  No,  the  burghers 
were  absolutely  ignored,  and  while  I  deplored  the 
fact  that  so  many  thousands  of  them  surrendered, 
yet  I  felt  that  the  Boer  officers  deserved  infinitely 
more  censure  than  the  burghers  themselves. 

For  instance,  General  de  la  Rey,  the  noble  and 
patriotic  defender  of  his  Country,  called  upon  the 
burghers  in  the  Rustenburg  district  to  take  up 

385 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

arms  again  and  fight  for  their  Country.  All  re- 
sponded, and  General  de  la  Rey  had  to  send 
hundreds  of  miles  for  rifles  and  ammunition  with 
which  to  equip  them.  I,  at  least,  do  not  censure 
this  class  of  "hands-uppers,"  but  I  do  censure  the 
Boer  officers,  all  of  whom  were  guilty  and  strictly 
responsible  for  their  conduct.  Had  there  been  no 
surrenders,  the  Boers  would  have  beaten  the 
English. 

In  Ermelo,  in  1901,  I  heard  General  Louis 
Botha  make  a  speech  to  the  burghers.  I  did  not 
like  what  he  said,  and  thereupon  did  not  agree 
with  him.  He  told  them  they  could  go  and  surren- 
der if  they  pleased,  but  if  they  did  go,  it  would  be 
without  his  permission.  This  was  really  an  induce- 
ment for  them  to  go  and  surrender.  Idleness  always 
creates  discontent,  and  from  this  all  the  burghers 
were  suffering.  They  could  see  no  reason  why  they 
should  lie  in  laager  and  do  nothing,  and  if  that 
was  what  General  Botha  wished  them  to  do,  why, 
they  said,  it  is  better  to  go  and  surrender,  and  be 
through  with  the  business. 

I  certainly  blame  General  Botha  for  the  surren- 
der of  hundreds  of  men,  and  while  I  like  him  and 
know  that  he  is  a  great  fighter  when  pushed  to  it, 
yet  I  must  be  honest  and  tell  him  the  great  mistake 
he  made,  in  not  keeping  the  burghers  in  hand,  and 
giving  them  plenty  of  fighting,  for  they  were  al- 
ways ready  to  fight  when  there  was  anything  to  be 

386 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

accomplished.  I  used  to  wish  to  say  to  him: 
"General  Botha,  you  know  what  the  Governor  of 
North  Carolina  said  to  the  Governor  of  South 
Carolina,  "It  is  a  longtime,"  not  "between  drinks," 
but  between  fights. 

The  English  columns  had  not  then  swarmed 
over  the  high  veldt,  and  both  the  Delagoa  and 
Natal  railway  lines  were  easy  to  destroy,  and  many 
trains  could  have  been  taken,  yet  he  would  not 
allow  the  burghers  to  molest  them.  I  did  not 
understand  him  then,  and  I  don't  understand  him 
now.  Captain  Jack  Hindon  and  that  most  reckless 
officer,  Lieutenant  Hendrik  Slegkamp,  were  de- 
stroying armored  trains  and  freight  trains,  near 
Balmoral,  and  they  captured  enough  supplies  and 
ammunition  to  support  the  whole  Boer  army,  yet 
the  burghers  were  not  there  to  help  themselves 
and  make  provision  for  the  future. 

Captain  Hindon  and  Lieutenant  Slegkamp  had 
only  about  100  men,  yet  they  were  in  every  way 
successful.  Captain  Karl  Trichardt,  a  son  of  the 
patriotic  Commandant  Trichardt,  of  the  State 
Artillery,  joined  with  Captain  Hindon  and  Lieut- 
enant Slegkamp  and  together  they  took  in  more 
than  100  trains  in  two  months.  The  burghers 
were  most  anxious  to  have  a  hand  in  this  business; 
but  General  Botha  discouraged  them,  and  in  every 
instance,  when  they  requested  him,  they  were 
refused.  I  do  not  like  to  criticise  General  Botha, 

387 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

because  he  is  a  most  excellent  fighter,  but  I  feel 
that  in  telling  him  his  weaknesses,  he  may,  at  some 
time  in  the  future,  remember  what  I  say,  and 
benefit  by  it.  I  know  that  he  is  loyal  and  true, 
but  he  must  feel  the  prick  of  the  spur  in  order  to 
develop  the  high  speed  that  is  really  in  him. 

I  say  all  this  with  the  best  intentions,  General 
Botha,  for  you  are  a  young  man,  and  in  the  future 
possibly  your  services  will  be  needed.  To  JOUT 
tact,  courage  and  generalship,  add  energy  and  fore- 
sight, and  I  assure  you  that  you  will  prove  your- 
self a  star  of  the  first  magnitude  in  the  eyes  of  the 
military  world;  but  remember  that  you  can  not 
ignore  and  allow  to  remain  undestroyed  the  enemy's 
line  of  communications,  when  all  is  in  your  own 
hands.  Make  your  plans  to  win,  but  also  prepare 
for  disaster,  and  your  name  will  go  down  in  history 
as  a  great  general.  Of  General  de  lay  Rey  and 
De  Wet,  I  have  but  one  criticism  to  make,  and 
that  is  they  must  tell  their  burghers  less  of  religion 
and  more  of  the  duties  they  owe  to  their  Country. 

The  burghers  know  their  bibles  as  well  as  the 
officers,  can  pray  as  well  and  preach  as  well;  then 
why  should  their  officers  keep  trying  to  drive  more 
bible  into  the  burghers?  When  the  officers  tell 
them  that  God  has  ordained  that  all  men  shall  be 
free,  and  that  all  burghers  who  submit  to  live  as 
slaves  to  an  English  Sovereign  can  never  hope  to 
pass  St.  Peter  and  enter  the  gates  of  heaven,  they 

388 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

have  said  enough  on  the  bible  question.  In  con- 
tending with  such  an  unscrupulous  and  God- 
banished  government  as  the  British,  they  must 
remember  that  their  rifles  and  artillery  must  take 
first  place.  The  Boers  are  by  nature  intensely 
humane  and  religious,  and  command  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  all  who  know  them,  but  they 
must  remember  that  when  at  war  with  the  English, 
they  are  fighting  a  lot  of  savages,  and  that  by  way 
of  retaliation  they  must  play  the  savage,  too.  The 
civilized  Christian  preaches  of  humane  war,  but 
has  any  one  ever  taken  part  in  or  witnessed  a 
humane  war,  or  can  any  one  mention  a  humane 
war  since  the  world  was  created?  When  two 
civilized  nations  go  to  war,  each  strains  every  nerve 
to  mow  the  other  down,  to  cut  his  throat,  to  mutil- 
ate and  kill  him, — by  fair  means  or  foul, — and 
when  the  battle  is  lost  and  won,  they  commiserate 
and  sympathize  with  them,  and  grieve  to  see  so 
many  hundreds  of  their  fellowmen  writhing  in 
agony  on  the  battlefield.  This  is  what  they  call 
humane  war  in  modern  times.  If  the  greedy, 
ambitious  and  unscrupulous  politicians  who  draw 
the  people  into  war  were  forced  to  shoulder  the 
rule  and  take  position  hi  the  front  line  of  battle, 
then  we  would  have  a  truly  humane  war,  because 
they  would  then  find  a  way  to  settle  all  differences 
without  resorting  to  force  of  arms. 

Had  the  English  law  required  Joe  Chamberlain, 

389 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Alfred  Milner  and  C.  J.  Rhodes,  to  go  into  the 
front  line  of  battle  as  proof  of  their  earnestness 
and  sincerity  and  of  their  love  for  their  country, 
it  is  certain  that  the  pages  of  history  would  never 
have  been  stained  by  the  account  of  the  bloody 
war  in  South  Africa. 

Now  a  few  words  on  the  Anglo-Boer,  a  class  of 
men  in  my  opinion  far  more  contemptible  than 
such  men  as  Roberts,  Kitchener,  Milner  and 
Chamberlain  who  had  burned  down  the  Boer  homes 
and  left  the  Boer  women  to  starve  to  death,  because 
they  did  not  make  their  men  come  in  and  surrender. 
The  Anglo-Boers  deserted  their  people,  took  up 
arms  with  the  British  and  materially  helped  them 
to  destroy  their  own  people's  farms  and  make  the 
women  and  children  suffer  death,  if  possible. 
These  Anglo-Boers  were  organized  into  a  military 
force  and  christened  by  Lord  Kitchener  as  National 
Scouts.  To  show  their  great  loyalty  to  the  British 
Crown  they  endeavored  to  prove  themselves  more 
cruel  to  the  Boer  women  and  children  than  the 
English  ever  were,  and  they  made  thousands  of 
them  suffer.  The  Boers  were  fortunate  enough  to 
capture  a  few  of  them  and  they  were  promptly 
shot.  All  of  them  would  have  been  shot  had  they 
been  captured.  After  the  general  surrender  any 
one  of  those  National  Scouts  who  dared  to  go  back 
to  his  own  farm  would  promptly  meet  his  just 
doom.  The  English  would  bury  him  and  ask  no 

390 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

questions.  Within  the  first  two  months  after  the 
surrender,  twenty-two  of  them  were  buried,  and  I 
learn  that  occasionally  one  or  two  of  them  are 
buried  now.  They  have  to  live  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  British  troops  to  avoid  being  killed.  It 
is  hoped  that  in  time  the  entire  3000  will  have  died 
unnatural  deaths.  In  hundreds  of  instances  their 
own  wives  and  children  deserted  them  and  would 
not  allow  them  to  come  near  them.  Many  of  them 
wanted  to  go  to  Somaliland  and  help  the  English 
fight  the  Mad  Mullah  and  his  negroes,  but  the 
English  Government  felt  that  they  could  not  be 
trusted.  They  are  now  ignored  and  despised  both 
by  the  English  and  the  Boers,  and  the  most  com- 
mendable act  they  could  do  would  be  for  each  to 
cut  his  own  throat  and  thus  earn  the  thanks  and 
approval  of  present  and  coming  generations. 

The  traitor  is  the  mosb  despicable  of  all  the 
animal  creation,  and  of  the  National  Scouts  I  say 
with  Tom  Moore  "May  the  blood  that  courses 
through  their  dastardly  veins  and  recoils  at  the 
very  sound  of  Freedom's  call,  stagnate  in  chains  !" 

I  will  now  sum  up  the  reasons  why  the  Boers 
lost  their  independence  and  country,  and  then 
throw  in  a  few  scraps  which  are  worth  recording. 
In  the  first  place,  the  Boers  lost  because  they 
made  the  fatal  mistake  of  laying  siege  to  Lady- 
smith,  Kimberly  and  Maf eking.  Had  they  driven 
ahead  and  take  possession  of  the  capitals  of  Natal 

391 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

and  Cape  Colony,  all  three  of  these  depots  of  sup- 
plies and  ammunition  would  have  fallen  into  their 
hands  without  a  shot  being  fired ;  and  besides  they 
would  have  received  at  least  75,000  recruits  from 
the  Colonies.  Mafeking  was  absolutely  of  no  im- 
portance to  them.  Of  course,  Baden-Powell  was 
there  and  thousands  of  dum-dum  bullets,  and 
three  or  four  years'  supply  of  food,  but  all  this  in 
the  beginning  was  not  wanted.  Baden-Powell 
would  never  have  ventured  a  day's  march  from 
his  prairie-dog-holes  had  there  been  Boers  pres- 
ent, because  he  did  not  wish  to  take  any 
chances  of  being  captured.  In  the  second  place, 
the  Boers  lost  because  so  many  thousands  of  them 
surrendered  voluntarily  on  the  occupation  of 
Bloemfontein  and  Pretoria.  The  Boer  generals  I 
hold  entirely  responsible  for  this.  Had  they  met 
and  talked  to  them  and  explained  Roberts'  proc- 
lamations, they  would  have  prevented  at  least 
35,000  men  from  surrendering. 

In  the  third  place  even  after  the  voluntary 
surrender  of  so  many  thousands  of  men,  had  the 
three  generals,  Chris  De  Wet,  de  la  Rey  and 
Louis  Botha,  concentrated  their  forces  and  carried 
the  war  into  Cape  Colony,  they  would  have  won, 
because  they  would  have  received  as  many  thousand 
recruits  as  they  had  lost  in  men  who  had  v  1- 
untarily  surrendered,  and  more,  too.  They  could 
have  taken  complete  possession  of  the  English 

392 


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W      c 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

lines  of  communication,  and  this  would  have 
forced  the  English  to  abandon  both  the  Free  State 
and  the  Transvaal.  But  with  a  hammer  and  a 
spike  one  could  not  drive  into  a  Boer  general's 
head  the  real  importance  of  his  enemy's  line  of 
communication  and  the  necessity  of  its  destruction. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  Boers  lost  because  the 
English  Government  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  allied 
itself  with  the  English  Government  in  London, 
England,  and  allowed  British  officers  to  establish 
a  military  camp  at  Chalmette,  New  Orleans,  for 
recruiting  horses,  mules  and  men  for  the  British 
army  in  South  Africa.  This  was  a  most  damnable 
piece  of  business.  More  than  200,000  horses  and 
mules  were  sent,  and  I  don't  know  how  many 
thousand  men. 

So  anxious  was  the  English  Government  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  to  supply,  the  British  army  in 
South  Africa  with  horses  and  mules  that  to-day, 
May,  1903,  there  is  a  deficiency  of  them  in  the 
United  States  and  our  own  cavalry  regiments  can 
not  be  mounted. 

On  reading  all  this  in  the  newspapers,  the  Boers 
would  come  to  me  and  ask  me  to  explain  the  con- 
duct of  the  Government.  I  recalled  to  them  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Hay,  Secretary  of  State,  had  been 
ambassador  for  a  month  or  so  in  London,  and  that 
the  English  had  so  stuffed  him  with  flattery  that 
he  had  forgotten  that  he  was  a  republican  and  a 

393 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

citizen  of  a  republic,  and  that  they  must  expect 
him  to  be  English  in  his  every  act. 

Strange  to  say,  practically  all  American  ambas- 
sadors to  England  return  to  America  as  English- 
men. They  cannot  stand  against  English  flattery. 
Read  the  papers  and  you  will  see  that  at  every 
private  dinner  or  reception  of  the  King  the  Ameri- 
can ambassador  is  the  only  foreign  representative 
honored  with  an  invitation.  He  accepts,  the  King 
lets  him  sit  for  five  minutes  in  his  own  chair, 
allows  him  to  recline  on  the  couch  where  Queen 
Victoria  once  took  a  nap  after  returning  from  her 
drive  in  Hyde  Park,  and  that  settles  him,  he  is 
denationalized.  Kings,  queens,  earls,  lords  and  so 
forth,  are  trained  flatterers,  and  there  is  certainly 
much  power  in  these  titles,  too,  for  let  a  dissolute, 
caddish  earl  who  thinks  nothing  of  his  mother,  but 
is  devoted  to  his  mistress,  come  to  America,  there 
are  many  rich  girls  who  are  ready  at  once  to  vend 
their  souls  and  bodies  and  give  their  fortunes  for 
the  title  of  princess.  All  learn  what  there  is  in 
such  a  title  when  it  is  too  late.  I  lived  in  London 
fifteen  months  and  I  saw  a  great  deal.  The  nobility 
or  upper  set,  and  the  lower  class  of  Englishmen, 
are  dissolute  and  immoral  to  an  extreme,  while 
the  middle  class  is  perfection.  In  this  class  one 
will  find  the  moral,  refined,  upright,  and  honest 
Englishmen,  and  no  where  in  the  world  can 
be  found  a  better  class  of  men  and  women  than 

394 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

in  this  middle  class.  Unfortunately  they  are  but 
few,  as  compared  to  the  whole,  and  being  sand- 
wiched in  between  the  mighty  upper  and  lower 
classes,  or  immoral  and  dissolute  classes,  it  is  inevi- 
table that  in  the  end  they  will  be  squeezed  to 
death.  And  then  it  is  that  the  remains  of  a  once 
glorious  and  proud  old  England  will  be  laid  away 
in  the  same  vault  with  those  of  Rome  and  Spain. 

There  is  not  an  Englishman  living  that  does  not 
at  heart  despise  every  American,  yet  he  must  look 
to  the  American  for  his  food.  All  talk  of  their 
cousins  across  the  sea,  for  all  now  know  that  their 
very  existence  as  a  nation  depends  upon  the  good 
will  of  America.  I  have  talked  with  many  business 
men  in  London,  and  all,  in  speaking  of  American 
merchants,  say,  "He  is  smart,  but  not  a  good  busi- 
ness man."  They  mean  by  this  that  all  Americans 
are  rascals,  and  so  they  believe. 

In  1895  I  was  amused  one  morning  when  I  read 
in  one  of  the  Cape  Town  newspapers  that  "It  was 
strange  to  see  on  Adelaide  Street,  this  morning,  the 
American  Consul  in  a  sober  condition."  I  was  also 
amused  in  London  during  the  Spanish  War  to 
witness  such  men  as  Dewey,  Schley  and  Sampson 
hissed  in  the  theatres  on  the  very  mention  of  their 
names.  One  picture  of  the  battle-ship  Maine  leav- 
ing New  York,  was  hissed  by  the  whole  house. 
Another  of  its  destruction  was  applauded,  yet  there 
are  thousands  of  Anglo-Americans  to  be  seen  walk- 

395 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

ing  the  streets  every  day.  For  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  the  British  Government  has  labored  to 
disunite  our  Union  or  in  some  way  to  destroy  our 
Republic,  yet  we  still  have  Anglo-Americans,  and, 
be  it  said  to  our  shame,  an  English  Government  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  Let  a  crown  prince  or  some 
great  lord  come  to  the  United  States,  and  then 
something  is  sure  to  happen.  Such  personages 
come  to  flatter  and  arrange  matters  in  Washington 
for  a  slap  at  the  United  States.  The  Venezuelan 
disgrace  was  the  outcome  of  Prince  Henry's  visit. 
Lord  Charles  Beresford  comes  to  tell  us  how  much 
England  loves  us  and  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  and  we 
are  then  ready  to  give  up  our  rights  to  Alaska.  It 
is  time  for  the  American  people  to  see  to  it  that  no 
one  but  true  Americans  shall  hold  the  highest 
offices  hi  their  gift.  Plain  it  is  that  we  are  drifting 
towards  imperialism,  that  is,  corruption  and  crime. 
The  records  of  our  action  towards  the  Phillipines 
and  of  the  conduct  of  our  army  towards  the 
Filipinos  will  mark  the  darkest  pages  in  our  history 
and  prove  loathsome  to  posterity.  The  Filipinos 
long  to  be  free,  and  our  motto  seems  to  be  to  kill 
or  enslave  them.  It  is  unnecessary  to  give  reasons, 
for  the  daily  papers  fairly  teem  with  accounts  of 
barbarous  and  murderous  acts  on  the  part  of  several 
army  officers  towards  the  people,  black  and  white, 
of  those  far  away  and  sorely  afflicted  islands. 
Strange  to  say,  our  Secretary  of  War  brings  down 

396 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

heavily  the  stamp  of  his  approval  on  all  these  out- 
rages and  endeavors  to  keep  the  people  in  the  dark 
as  far  as  it  is  within  his  power.  The  very  people 
who  declared  for  liberty  for  all,  and  fought  to  free 
the  blacks  of  the  Southern  States,  are  now  fighting 
to  enslave  the  blacks  and  whites  of  the  far-away 
Phillipines.  I  admire  nerve,  but  despise  hypocrisy. 
Now  I  must  say  a  word  about  the  Irish  and 
Irish-Americans  on  their  conduct  in  America  dur- 
ing the  South  African  War.  There  are  many  mil- 
lions of  Irish  hi  America  and  there  is  one  organiza- 
tion, the  Clan-na-Gael,  known  as  the  Physical  Force 
Element.  For  nearly  half  a  century  this  organiza- 
tion has  been  crying  and  preaching  that  "England's 
difficulty  was  Ireland's  opportunity."  They  have 
blown  up  a  few  barns  and  woodsheds  in  the  rear  of 
some  lord's  residence,  managed  to  get  some  good 
patriotic  Irishmen  behind  the  bars  of  English 
prisons  for  life,  and  tried  to  turn  the  course  of  the 
Gulf  Stream  in  order  to  frighten  or  freeze  England. 
But  when  an  English  military  camp  was  estab- 
lished in  New  Orleans  to  recruit  horses,  mules  and 
men,  they  did  nothing  but  prohibit  every  member 
of  the  society  from  doing  anything  towards  its  de- 
struction. Every  man  of  the  rank  and  file  wanted 
to  destroy  that  camp,  and  stop  the  shipment  of  the 
horses,  mules  and  men  to  the  British  army  in 
South  Africa,. and  were  ready  to  volunteer  for  the 
service.  They  saw  England's  difficulty  and  wished 

397 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

to  take  advantage  of  it.  But  their  leaders  said 
NO,  and  not  one  man  was  allowed  to  open  his 
mouth  or  do  anything. 

Lord  Salisbury  and  Chamberlain  must  have  known 
all  about  the  stand  the  leaders  of  the  Clan-na-Gael 
had  taken  and  the  reasons  for  it,  for  both  said  in 
Parliament,  "there  was  nothing  to  fear  from  the 
Irish  in  America."  Clansmen  should  look  out,  for 
there  is  something  wrong  about  their  leaders.  Had 
the  Irish  destroyed  that  camp,  it  would  have  told 
England,  in  unmistakable  terms,  that  so  long  as 
there  are  Irish  in  America,  so  long  will  it  be  impos- 
sible for  her  to  recruit  horses,  mules  and  men  on 
our  soil.  England  would  then  learn  that  it  would 
be  for  her  best  interests  to  allow  the  people  of 
Ireland  to  govern  themselves. 

Irish  enmity  will  live  in  all  its  bitterness  till  the 
people  are  free,  and  England  will  find  this  out  when 
it  is  too  late.  She  is  now  going  to  give  them  a 
land  bill  by  which  the  tenants  can,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, buy  the  land  of  which  they  were  forcibly  rob- 
bed in  years  gone  by;  and  I  confess  this  will  prove 
a  great  boon  to  them.  I  believe,  however,  that  the 
concession  is  intended  as  a  bribe,  for  England  is 
frightened  because  the  Irish  have  at  last  come  to 
then:  senses  and  cease  to  enlist  in  the  army. 
Without  the  Irish,  the  British  army  would  be  help- 
less m  a  war  with  any  country,  for  they  are  its  very 
backbone  and  sinew  of  strength.  The  Scotch  will 

398 


The  English  Arm  Kaffirs 

think  twice  about  enlisting,  too,  when  they  learn 
the  Irish  have  cleared  out,  for  they  know  that  when 
it  comes  to  a  fight  the  Englishmen  are  not  there, 
and  if  there  are  no  Irish  to  call  upon,  why  they,  the 
Scotchmen,  would  have  to  stand  the  whole  brunt. 
By  the  concession  which  England  now  makes,  she 
hopes  the  Irish  will  feel  grateful,  to  the  extent  of 
enlisting  again  hi  the  army;  but  I  hope  they  will 
have  sense  enough  to  do  no  such  thing,  as  England 
grants  nothing  except  when  forced  to  it. 


399 


Conclusion. 

Now  my  narrative  is  virtually  at  an  end,  but  to 
be  in  fashion  I  must  say  another  word  to  be  called 
the  "Conclusion." 

Queen  Victoria  had  a  peaceful  reign  of  some 
sixty-three  years.  Of  this  long  period,  only 
thirty-seven  years  were  devoted  to  war  against 
her  own  people  in  her  own  possessions.  It  was 
against  the  blacks,  her  own  subjects,  that  her  huge 
armies  were  principally  employed.  Her  armies 
could  easily  account  for  5,000  dead  blacks  an- 
nually, so  that  during  the  thirty-seven  years  of 
her  long  and  peaceful  reign  of  sixty-three  years, 
there  could  be  recorded  in  the  annals  of  English 
History  the  names  of  some  185,000  of  her  black 
subjects  who,  innocent,  helpless  and  unarmed, 
were  deliberately  shot  down  because  they  were 
native  and  rightful  owners  of  lands  that  might  be 
rich  in  gold  and  other  precious  minerals. 

The  venerable  Queen  died  in  the  year  1901 
during  her  war  in  South  Africa  against  an   in- 
nocent,  humane  and  Christian  people   who  hap 
pened  to  have  the  richest  gold  fields  known.     She 
was  succeeded  by  her  son  who  followed  in   her 

400 


Conclusion 

footsteps  till  the  Boers  finally  consented  to 
surrender  in  order  to  save  all  that  remained  of 
their  women  and  children  and  therefore  their  race 
from  extinction. 

At  last,  England  longs  for  peace.  She  has  all 
the  gold  fields  with  the  exception  of  those  in  Alaska 
and  she  knows  that  by  sending  a  titled  person  to 
the  English  Government  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  she 
can  get  all  the  gold  she  wishes  in  that  land  by  the 
mere  asking. 

She  is  through  with  war  and  such  is  her  con- 
dition financially  that  if  any  Power  offers  her  an 
insult  she  must  swallow  it.  The  South  African 
war  absorbed  all  her  money  and  to-day  she 
acknowledges  the  huge  debt  of  14,000,000,000. 
To  pay  the  interest  on  that  debt  alone  her  popula- 
tion of  40,000,000  people  must  be  taxed  at  the 
rate  of  three  dollars  per  head  annually  for  every 
man,  woman  and  child.  Even  bread,  the  sole 
food'  of  her  thousands  of  starving  poor,  must  be 
taxed  in  order  that  she  may  meet  the  interest  of  her 
heavy  debt.  She  prays  for  peace  not  only  because 
she  is  pressed  to  earth  by  the  weight  of  her  debt 
but  also  because  the  South  African  War  demon- 
strated the  extreme  weakness  of  her  army. 

The  Mad  Mullah  in  line  with  the  Boers,  has  also 
developed  the  fighting  incapacity  of  her  army,  I 
wonder  why  they  call  him  "Mad?"  Is  it  because  he 
has  wiped  out  some  English  commands?  It  may 

401 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers* 

be    so,   because   General    Cronje   was    called   the 
'Butcher"  when  he  wiped  out  some  English  com- 
mands. 

The  English  army  having  shown  itself  so  pitifully 
weak  in  the  presence  of  an  armed  though  far  in- 
ferior enemy,  in  numbers,  the  question  arises,  "Is 
her  navy  as  weak  as  her  arni}^?"  I  don't  know,  but 
should  her  navy  by  accident  run  against  either  the; 
American  or  French  navy,  I  have  an  idea  that  it 
would  follow  the  same  course  and  meet  the  same- 
fate  as  the  Spanish  navy  during  the  American- 
Spanish  War. 

That  the  English  navy  is  huge  in  its  number  om 
paper  I  do  not  (Joubt,  but  that  there  is  any  effective; 
strength  in  its-,  numbers,  I  seriously  doubt,  because 
so  niany  ol  her  principal  ships  are  armed  with  old 
srnpot)h-bonevi».uzzle-loading  guns,  so  many  of  the 
boilers;  are  burnt  out  and  so  many  of  the  old  hulks 
are  rotten  with  age? 

At  any  rate  England  is  praying  for  continued 
peace  and  will  not  go  to  war  unless  actually  driven 
to  it.  For  700  years  she  has  tried  to  crush  out 
the  very  life  of  the  Irish  people  by  thrusting 
them  in  prison,  by  starvation  and  by  actually 
murdering  them,  yet,  in  the  end  she  found  them 
invincible  and  not  to  be  destroyed.  Now  her 
King  and  Queen  go  to  Ireland  and  fairly  kiss 
the  Irish  people's  feet  and  tell  them  what  a 
good,  noble  people  they  are  and  how  dearly  they 

402 


Conclusion 

love  them.  To  be  sincere,  they  should  have  added, 
"Now  won't  you  enlist  in  our  army,  for  we  :can't 
possibly  fight  without  your  help?" 

The  English,  of  all  people^  are  the  least  sincere 
officially  and  know  best  the  value  of  flattery.  It 
is  for  this  reason,  I  think,  that  the  British  Empire 
has  so  long  held  together^  but  now  the  people 
of  the  Colonies  are  beginning  to  reflect,  to  think 
and  reason,  and  the  connecting  links  are  growing 
weaker  and  weaker  every  day  and  some  of  them 
may,  at  any  moment,  snap. 

As  soon  as  peace  was  made  in  South  Africa,  the 
English  with  long  faces  and  pleading  tones,  ap- 
pealed to  the  Boers  to  forgive  and  forget,  as  there 
were  no  longer  any  reasons  why  they  should  live 
on  unfriendly  terms.  Having  robbed  the  Boers  of 
their  gold  fields,  destroyed  more  than  22,000  of 
their  women  and  children,  all  their  homes  and  prop* 
erty,  and  then  endeavored  to  starve  to  death  the 
whole  population,  she  humbly  begs  them  to  forgive 
and  forget.  Yes,  the  Boers  are  sure  to  forgive  and 
forget,  but  when? 

The  Eighty  Years'  War  showed  that  the  Dutch 
were  the  most  determined  fighters  and  the  greatest 
lovers  of  liberty  the  world  had  ever  known.  Short- 
ly after  the  conclusion  of  this  war  many  of  them 
went  to  South  Africa  and  settled  in  Cape  Colony. 
It  was  fight,  fight  and  fight  all  the  time  for  years, 
but,  though  they  lost  many  of  their  women  and 

403 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

children,  yet  they  were  determined  and  held  their 
ground.  Near  the  close  of  the  17th  century  many 
of  the  Huguenots  driven  from  France  also  sought 
refuge  in  Cape  Colony.  The  Boers  of  to-day  are 
the  descendants  of  those  two  races  of  people.  This 
explains  why  they  are  such  a  determined  race  and 
such  great  lovers  of  liberty.  The  Dutch  and 
French  Huguenots,  both  being  intensely  religious, 
united,  fought  side  by  side  during  those  fearful 
times  and  in  the  end  became  so  intermixed  that 
to-day  there  is  not  one  individual  Dutch  or 
Huguenot  family  among  the  Boers. 

After  years  of  fighting  the  natives,  wild  beasts 
and  starvation,  they  succeeded  in  establishing  them- 
selves in  comfortable  homes  and  converting  a  wil- 
derness into  a  habitable,  productive  country. 

Now  the  time  was  ripe  for  England  to  act  and 
she  fell  upon  them  with  her  army  and  navy  and 
deprived  them  of  all  their  rights  and  liberties. 
They  withstood  English  domineering  for  a  few 
years,  when  many  of  them,  driven  to  it,  openly  re- 
belled. The  terrible  murder  scene  at  Slagter's  Nek 
was  the  result.  Here  five  men  were  hung  in  the 
presence  of  hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children 
who  had  been  driven  to  the  scene  at  the  point  of 
English  bayonets.  When  the  five  patriots  were 
dropped,  the  scaffold  broke  and  down  all  came,  some 
half  dead  from  choking,  and  all  writhing  in  agony. 
The  scaffold  was  partially  repaired  and  all  drawn 

404 


Conclusion 

up,  so  that  they  could  die  as  horrible  a  death  as 
possible.  The  Boers  have  never  forgotten  that  aw- 
ful day  and  that  heartrending  scene,  and  they  never 
will. 

During  the  recent  war  men,  women  and  children 
were  again  forced  to  witness  many  such  revolting 
scenes,  and  yet  the  English  beg  them  to  forgive 
and  forget. 

Back  in  the  thirties,  the  English  became  so 
oppressive  that  life  to  the  Boers  was  unendurable, 
so  thousands  of  them  banded  together,  left  their 
dear  old  homes  and  all  their  property  and  started  on 
the  "Great  Trek"  to  the  unsettled  country  of  Natal. 
Here  again  they  had  to  contend  with  the  savages, 
wild  beasts  and  starvation.  Hundreds  of  them 
were  murdered,  yet,  in  the  end,  they  again  estab- 
lished themselves  in  homes  and  made  the  wilderness 
bloom.  No  sooner  were  they  comfortable,  happy 
and  in  a  flourishing  condition  than  the  English  fell 
upon  them  again  and  drove  them  from  the  land. 
They  now  crossed  the  mountains  and  sought  homes 
hi  the  great  deserts  now  known  as  the  Transvaal 
and  Free  State.  At  last  the  English  said  they 
would  no  longer  hound  them  and  would  allow  them 
to  live  or  die  in  the  desert. 

Again  the  Boers  had  to  contend  with  the  savages, 
wild  beasts  and  starvation.  Here  they  suffered 
terribly,  hundreds  of  them  died  and  hundreds  of 

405 


A.  West  Pointer  with,  the  Boers 

-women  and  children  were  murdered  by  the  savages. 
Yet  they  persevered  and  converted  the  desert  into 
two  of  the  richest  and  most  flourishing  little  repub- 
lics in  the  world.  All  this  is  as  fresh  as  ever  in 
the  Boer  memory,  yet,  after  the  late  South  African 
War,  the  English  beg  the  Boers  to  forgive  and  for- 
get. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Free  State,  as  soon  as  she 
began  to  really  flourish,  the  great  diamond  fields  at 
Kimberly  were  discovered.  Now  England  falls  up- 
on her,  kills  a  lot  of  her  people  and,  in  the  end, 
robs  her  of  her  diamond  fields  and  establishes  a 
little  despotism  in  Kimberly.  The  diamond  fields 
were  alone  cut  off  and  annexed  to  Cape  Colony, 
for  there  was  nothing  else  in  the  Free  State  worth 
having  as  far  as  the  English  knew. 

It  is  at  Kimberly  that  the  great  "Compound 
System"  was  established  and  is  still  running  in  all 
its  glory.  Rhodes,  Beit,  Phillips  and  Bernato 
were  the  prime  movers. 

A  large  compound  was  built  around  the  mines 
and  all  the  employees  locked  within  it.  No  em- 
ployee can  buy  anything  except  from  the  Company 
and  within  that  compound.  On  leaving  the  com- 
pound, the  employees  have  to  go  through  an  ordeal 
that  is  simply  beastly,  because  the  Company  fears 
that  some  of  them  may  have  swallowed  a  diamond. 
It  requires  a  week  to  pass  the  last  door  and  every 

406 


Conclusion 

one  must  swallow  such  purging  drugs  as  the  Com- 
pany may  command.  The  Compound  is  simply  a 
little  hell  established  by  the  civilized  English. 

They  made  a  law  in  the  Colony  by  which  any 
one  caught  with  a  rough  diamond  in  his  possession 
is  sent  to  penal  servitude  for  a  term  of  years,  the 
period  raging  from  five  to  seven  years.  This  law 
was  especially  enacted  for  the  Diamond  Company  ? 
now  known  as  De  Beers  Company. 

Any  one  in  Kimberly  who  might  say  anything 
about  the  Compound  System  would  incur  the 
displeasure  of  the  Diamond  Company.  Th-it  means 
that  one  of  the  Company's  detectives  would  watch 
his  chance  and  drop  a  rough  diamond  in  the  offend- 
er's pocket.  In  another  five  minutes  the  detective 
would  arrest  the  offender  and  charge  him  with 
having  a  rough  diamond  in  his  possession.  The 
offender  would  plead  innocence,  but  the  search 
brings  out  the  diamond,  the  offender  is  hauled  be- 
fore the  Company's  judge  and  sentenced  to  five  or 
seven  years'  penal  servitude.  I  remember,  in  one 
instance,  where  the  judge  held  a  rough  diamond  in 
his  hand  and  remarked  to  those  in  the  court  room 
that  that  one  diamond  had  sent  eleven  men  to  penal 
servitude.  Sure  it  is  that  under  an  English  ad- 
ministration, there  is  no  doubt  that  justice  will 
be  given. 

This  frightful  state  of  affairs  exists  because 
Rhodes,  Bernato,  Beit,  Philips,  etc.  must  be  pleased, 

407 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Rhodes  and  Bernato  are  now  dead,  the  one  having 
been  fatally  shot  by  John  Barleycorn,  and  the 
other  having  jumped  overboard  at  sea  that  it  might 
be  recorded  of  him  that  he  had  at  least  done  one 
good  thing. 

Having  sliced  off  the  diamond  fields  and  an- 
nexed them  to  Cape  Colony,  the  English  now 
allowed  the  Free  Staters  to  live  in  peace.  The 
people  of  the  Transvaal  had  long  since  established 
their  Government,  but  they  were  struggling  hard 
to  keep  starvation  from  the  door.  There  was  no 
money  in  the  treasury,  the  people  had  no  money 
and  every  official  gave  his  time  and  services  free. 
There  was  no  complaint,  however,  for  all  could  be 
happy  in  their  religion  even  if  they  had  no  money 
$nd  starvation  was  staring  them  in  the  face. 

While  still  struggling  to  live,  a  great  misfortune 
fell  upon  them  in  the  year  1887  by  the  discovery 
of  the  great  Rand  gold  fields  at  Johannesburg. 
People  from  all  parts  of  the  world  poured  into  the 
country  and  the  Boers  suddenly  jumped  from 
poverty  into  affluence.  These  fields  became  world 
known,  all  was  flourishing  in  the  Transvaal,  and 
Boers  and  foreigners  alike  were  all  happy  and 
prosperous.  England,  through  the  subsidized 
press  soon  manufactured  an  excuse  to  make  war 
upon  the  Boers  and  rob  them  of  their  gold  fields. 

With  the  material  assistance  rendered  by  the 
English  Government  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  she 

408 


Conclusion 

managed  to  succeed  in  her  highway  robbery  and 
at  the  same  time  deprive  two  little  republics  of 
their  independence. 

Judging  by  what  I  read  and  hear,  I  am  led  to 
believe  that  President  Roosevelt  claims  to  be  of 
Irish  and  Dutch  extraction,  but  judging  him  by 
his  conduct  and  the  English  proclivities  of  some 
of  those  who  are  his  chief  advisers,  I  should  say 
that  real  English  blood  predominates  over  all 
others  he  may  claim.  Whatever  the  composition  of 
his  blood  may  be,  certain  it  is  that  he  helped 
England  destroy  two  little  republics  in  South 
Africa.  The  American  people  will  wake  up  by 
and  by  and  see  to  it  that  none  but  true  Americans 
will  hold  office  under  the  United  States  Government. 

Having  driven  the  Boers  from  pillar  to  post, 
hounded  them,  preyed  upon  them  and  robbed  and 
murdered  them  for  250  years,  and  then  deprived 
them  of  their  liberty  and  independence,  England 
now  expects  them  to  forgive  and  forget  because 
there  is  no  longer  any  reason  for  ill-feelings. 

Will  the  Boers  &ver  forget  the  sufferings  and 
torture  heaped  upon  their  forefathers  in  Cape 
Colony?  Will  they  ever  forget  what  their  fathers 
and  mothers  had  to  endure  in  Natal ?  Will  they 
ever  forget  what  they  themselves  have  had  to 
suffer  in  the  Transvaal  and  Free  State  ?  Will  they 
ever  forget  the  3,723  patriots  who  were  killed  or 
died  of  wounds  during  the  late  South  African  War? 

4Q9 


A  West  Pointer  with  the  Boers 

Will  they  ever  forget  the  22,000  women  and 
children  who  were  murdered  in  the  English  prison 
camps?  Will  they  ever  forget  the  many  martyrs 
who  were  tied  hand  and  foot,  and  deliberately  shot 
in  cold  blood? 

Go  to  the  lone  tent  standing  by  the  charred 
walls  of  the  destroyed  home  and  with  the  children 
listen  to  what  is  taught  them  by  the  mother,  and 
you  will  hear  the  answer. 

Such  noble  women  as  that  grand  matron,  Mrs. 
Joubert,  widow  of  the  late  Commandant-General 
Piet  Joubert,  would  redeem  any  land  or  people. 
She  is  one  of  thousands  of  Africander  mothers 
whose  sons  may  forgive  much,  because  they  are 
Christians  but  will  forget  nothing  because  they  are 
men.  They  will  not  have  any  of  the  amiable 
sentimentality  of  the  Irish  whose  soft  hearts  and 
heads  prompt  them  too  often  to  let  bygones  be 
bygones.  Nor  will  they  have  any  of  the  vulgar 
admiration  of  succcess  which  makes  the  American 
parvenu  cringe  to  the  Englishman  of  rank  or 
station,  until  the  Yankee  to-day  is  more  despised  in 
Great  Britain  than  his  independent  father  was  ever 
hated  there — which  is  saying  a  good  deal. 

The  bible-loving  Africanders  may  enjoy  the 
following  poem,  with  its  Hebraic  language  of  fierce 
denunciation.  It  is  by  an  Irish- American  without 
any  Anglo  "virus"  in  his  system,  James  Jeffrey 
Roche,  editor  of  the  Pilot. 

410 


Conclusion 

With  it  I  conclude  this  story  trusting  and 
believing  that  it  is  anything  but  the  concluding 
chapter  to  the  Boer  fight  for  freedom,  the  bravest 
and  noblest  ever  fought  since  God  taught  men  to 
love  liberty. 

Her  robes  are  of  purple  and  scarlet, 
And  the  kings  have  bent  their  knees 

To  the  gemmed  and  jewelled  harlot 
Who  sitteth  on  many  seas. 

They  have  drunk  the  abominations 

Of  her  golden  cup  of  shame; 
She  has  drugged  and  debauched  the  nations 

With  the  mystery  of  her  name. 

Her  merchants  have  gathered  riches 

By  the  power  of  her  wantonness, 
And  her  usurers  are  as  leeches 

On  the  World's  supreme  distress. 

She  has  scoured  the  seas  as  a  spoiler; 

Her  mart  is  a  robber's  den, 
With  the  wrested  toll  of  the  toiler, 

And  the  mortgaged  souls  of  men. 

Her  crimson  flag  is  flying, 

Where  the  East  and  the  West  are  one; 
Her  drums  while  the  day  is  dying 

Salute  the  rising  sun. 

She  has  scourged  the  weak  and  the  lowly 

And  the  just  with  an  iron  rod; 
She  is  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  holy, — 

She  shall  drink  of  the  wrath  of  GodI 

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